A tweet by Chris Cotillo says it all…
Hearing #Nationals and #Athletics talking about possible deals. Blevins, Doolittle, Espinosa all potential names.
— Chris Cotillo (@ChrisCotillo) December 11, 2013
A deal between the Washington Nationals and Oakland Athletics seems to be brewing and when trading with the best executive in baseball, you have to be careful. Why would he be willing to trade one of his best bullpen guys? Does he know something that no one else does? You know, he is pretty good at his job and has a fabulous team of evaluators.
None the less, Billy Beane and his team seem to be interested in talking trades with Mike Rizzo, so why not do it. It can only help us in the long run.
Sean Doolittle is only 26 and has two years of MLB experience under his belt. He is a slick lefty that doesn’t walk guys and strikes out a ton. He also brings a little bit of urgency and emotion to the ballpark with him each day, which I love. You have to have a guy like that on your ball club and he will be able to compliment Bryce Harper.
He gives up about three runs per nine innings, but they don’t come from the long ball. He has given up a combined seven homer over the last two seasons. He could be a very viable option for Matt Williams to use in the 7th or 8th innings to pitch a full inning or be a one lefty pitcher every now and then.
Jerry Blevins is another option. He has pitched in 281 games in his career all with the A’s. Blevins will give you about 60 innings a year and limit the run damage he allows. He is a guy that can give up the long ball, but he finds a way to get out of innings. It may be scary but if the job gets done that is all you can ask for.
Against lefties Blevins is excellent. He has allowed a .224 batting average and .274 OBP against lefties in his career. He would be more of a lefty only bullpen option, but could be the cheaper of the two. He becomes a free agent in 2016, and could end up getting an extension if he pitches well enough.
The Nats can’t go wrong with either of these options. If a deal can get done, it is a bonus for the Nats. Either one can solidify the lefty reliever role the Nats have been searching for. The have been excellent in Oakland, so I don’t see why that won’t translate to D.C. The only question that remains is, will the Nats have to give up Espinosa in return?