Machado was touching 98 mph with his fastball while pitching for Venezuela during the World Baseball Classic, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.

EDGE Analysis

The 29-year-old right-hander is also out of minor-league options, which could give him a leg up on winning one of the final spots in the Nationals' bullpen. Machado also has a 5:0 K:BB through three scoreless innings in Grapefruit League play, so he's done just about everything he can this spring to earn a job. The Nats' bullpen is very unsettled behind Kyle Finnegan, so if Machado's stuff has taken a step forward this offseason, he could work his way into some high-leverage work before long.