Washington Nationals: Craig Stammen reunion worth considering

The Washington Nationals are currently lacking a bonafide long reliever, and Craig Stammen is a free agent. Could a reunion be on the horizon?

For whatever reason, many of the fan favorites on the early Washington Nationals teams resided in the bullpen. While Tyler Clippard, Drew Storen, and Sean Burnett were a few of the most well-known, Craig Stammen also played an enormous role in the Nats’ bullpen for many years.

Stammen debuted as a starting pitcher in 2009, but was converted to bullpen duties in 2010, a role in which he enjoyed much more success. He became one of the Nats’ top relievers in 2011, and remained a staple of the bullpen through 2015.

Unfortunately, he suffered a season-ending injury in April of 2015, which effectively ended his Nationals tenure. However, he is now back on his feet and pitched very well for the San Diego Padres in 2017.

Stammen typically served as a long reliever during his time with the Nats, and he filled the same role for the Padres. He pitched 80.1 innings in 60 appearances, which shows that, at 33, he is still capable of throwing multiple innings out of the bullpen. He is also still able to be relied upon, as he pitched to a 3.14 ERA throughout 2017.

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Now a free agent, Stammen could be a fit with the Nats. The Nats have a strong bullpen, and it appears to be a strength for the first time in a while, but they are lacking a bonafide long reliever.

Coincidentally, Stammen was the Nats’ last reliable long reliever. Yusmeiro Petit was brought in to replace Stammen in 2016, but he had a nightmare season and was eventually left off of the postseason roster.

Matt Grace served as the long reliever at times in 2017, but he does not have the stamina required for the role, which caused him to tire easily and struggle at times. If Stammen were to return to DC, the Nats would finally have an effective long reliever.

Although having a bonafide long reliever in the bullpen would be nice, it is not necessary. Grace, Sammy Solis, and Enny Romero are all capable of pitching multiple innings, so they could serve as makeshift long relievers if needed.

However, teams carry long relievers more often than not in today’s game, which is not without reason. As the Nats saw with Grace in 2017, overuse can lead to diminished results, and can eventually impact the entire pitching staff. By signing Stammen, the Nats could easily avoid this.

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The Nats have recently been connected to free agent relievers such as Greg Holland and Addison Reed, but they do not need another late-inning reliever. While Stammen is not the big-name reliever that fans are hoping for, he could be a great addition.

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