There’s not a more perfect fit out there in free agency right now than the Nationals and J.P. Howell. Mandatory Credit: Joy R. Absalon-USA TODAY Sports

“Personally speaking, I would be a great fit,” Howell told Ladson. “I think the leader on that team, Jayson Werth, is a great guy. I know Davey Johnson from the [World Baseball Classic]. It was a pleasure to be around a guy like that. … If I could fit on the ride, that would be amazing.”

Howell just might get his wish.

With Sean Burnett‘s time with the Nationals all but over, the Nats find themselves with just one left-handed bullpen option in the recently-signed Zach Duke. Duke figures to be a long reliever which means the Nationals currently have no left-handed specialists.

Enter J.P. Howell.

Howell is as solid an option as the Nationals are going to find. He pitched 50.1 innings across 55 games last year, so he fits the profile of a “specialist,” logged a solid 7.5 K/9 ratio to add to his impressive 3.04 ERA pitching against a difficult AL East division, and wants to play for D.C. What better fit is there?

I personally had a chance to watch Howell pitch when I took a visit down to Tampa Bay’s Spring Training facility last March, and let me say this – From what I observed, he’s a great clubhouse guy, he’s great with fans and his pitching mechanics are quite solid. He seemed very receptive to coaching and that’s what you look for on a contending ball club.

This guy is already as battle-tested as they come. At just 25 years old, Howell was thrown into a playoff chase as his Tampa Bay Rays were Cinderella American League champions. In what is still today his most-worked season, Howell had career bests in ERA (2.22), innings pitched (89.1), strikeouts (92) and HR/9 (0.6). He’s been to two more playoffs since, and he’s ready to go another round.

All things being equal, there really isn’t a more perfect fit out there. The Nationals need him, and he really wants to play for the Nationals. Will he? We’ll have to wait and see.

It was reported yesterday by Jon Paul Morosi (via Twitter) that Brandon Webb and Rich Harden both intend to make comebacks in 2013 after battling injuries over the last few years.

Rich Harden could be a fit for the Nationals in either the starting rotation or the bullpen. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Both Webb and Harden present high-potential arms that have had success in the past, but more recently have dealt with injury issues. Webb, 33, hasn’t seen a big-league game since 2009 with the Diamondbacks and Harden, 31, last pitched in 2011 with the Oakland A’s.

But despite missing time with injuries, both pitchers have been quite productive when they have pitched. Webb, the 2006National League Cy Young Award, holds a career 3.27 ERA and an 87-62 record in his 7 seasons. Harden, albeit a less-dominant pitcher, has pitched to a 3.76 ERA and a 59-38 record in his 9 seasons.

So, why not take a chance on one or both?

The Nationals showed last year that they like bringing in high-ceiling depth options when they inked players such as Zach Duke and Michael Gonzalez, and Webb and Harden should be no different. Even on major-league contracts, a deal that was highly incentive-based could prove beneficial for both the player and the team.

With Webb, the Nationals acquire a former ace of a contending ball club that could provide a veteran presence to a still-young team looking to reach the playoffs for the second straight season. Only once in his six healthy seasons did Webb pitch less than 200 innings (2003, 180.2), and Webb was also a top-two Cy Young candidate in three consecutive seasons (2006-2008). He knows what it’s like to be in the spotlight, and having him around could prove beneficial to young stars like Stephen Strasburg and Jordan Zimmermann.

There’s hardly any risk involved here: Either Webb earns a roster spot and proves to be an absolute bargain signing or he turns out as a bust and the Nationals lose a small sum (relatively speaking, of course). Regardless, the Nationals don’t get hosed.

With Harden, the Nats have some flexibility. Harden is notorious for his nasty stuff, and boasts a career 9.2 K/9 IP ratio. He’s averaged over 18 starts per year in his 9 seasons, so he could be a fifth starter, but if the Nats want to ensure Harden stays healthy, they could also fill a hole in the bullpen and have a very capable strikeout man. Harden would likely be seeking either a minor-league deal or an incentive-based, low salary major-league deal, so he profiles similar to Webb in terms of being low risk/high reward.

The one other pro in signing a Webb or a Harden is it doesn’t handcuff Mike Rizzo and company the rest of the offseason.

It’s been highly speculated that the Nationals could look to trade Michael Morse in search of another starting pitcher (James Shields of Tampa Bay has been the most-common name) to fill that fifth rotation spot, and Webb or Harden wouldn’t really block such a move. The financial commitment to either would be slim, so the Nats wouldn’t be forced into trying to get their money’s worth by forcing either onto the roster. If they acquire someone better, it’ll cost next-to nothing to cut them.

Depending on acquiring a James Shields or a Zack Greinke or relying on Christian Garcia to produce and stay healthy just have to many “ifs” around them. The free-agent market has becoming increasingly more expensive for reliable relievers. Though there are so many more ideal options out there, none of them are shoe-ins. So, why not add a fall-back option?

February 23, 2012; Melbourne, FL, USA; Washington Nationals relief pitcher Drew Storen (22) throws as manager Davey Johnson (5) and pitching coach Spin Williams (52) look on during camp at Space Coast Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Barr-US PRESSWIRE

To give a brief summary of Storen’s injury-filled Spring Training, he started having “typical arm soreness” (according to the team) back in the beginning of March. Fast forward a few weeks now to late March, and the team reveals that Storen is actually suffering from elbow inflammation, and will be placed on the disabled list. At the time the news wasn’t terribly startling, as he was scheduled to return in mid-April (like, this week). But when Storen went to throw a simulated game this past Sunday, he experienced pain once again, which led to where we are now. Glad to hear the problem has been identified and solved (knock on wood).

Though this news is certainly somewhat alarming, it’s not all bad. We’ve seen Henry Rodriguez and Brad Lidge are at least competent enough at closing games to keep the Nats above .500 (through 5 games…). Lidge in particular has looked very good so far, and if he can get going, who knows? Perhaps the Nats won’t even need Storen. Tis not to say they won’t welcome his return, but if Lidge could return to the form he had in his golden years, Storen’s return would become more of a luxury than a necessity to manager Davey Johnson. With Tom Gorzelanny proving to be a very effective option out of the pen (2.42 ERA as a reliever in 2011), Rodriguez developing further, and Tyler Clippard continuing to be one of the best non-closing relievers in the game, a Lidge-led bullpen could still prove to be one of the best in the league.

The downside of this is that now both my closers (Kyle Farnsworth and Storen) are now injured on my fantasy team. So much for that league title….curse you Drew Storen! (Not really, Drew you’re awesome.)

But in all seriousness, losing Storen for a few months is nothing to smile about. Despite the fact that the currently-healthy relievers should be able to hold their own until June, the Nationals have still lost a bullpen option that saved 43 games in 2011, recording a 2.75 ERA through 75.1 innings. Had it not been such a strong year for closers in general, Storen’s numbers would rank in the top-tier of closer statistics. Age 23, over 40 saves? Chad Cordero has returned in the form of Drew Storen. Now let’s just hope Storen can come back healthy in June.