The Washington Nationals signed Carlos Torres to a minor league deal on Wednesday. Although it is not a high-profile signing, it could pay huge dividends.
Over the last few years the Washington Nationals have earned the reputation of being exceptionally injury-prone.
Some of the injuries have been fluky, such as Trea Turner breaking his wrist after getting hit by a pitch and Bryce Harper hurting his knee by slipping on first base, but the whole team is seemingly always hurt.
Unfortunately, the bullpen seems to be the most often injured facet of the roster. Last year, Sean Doolittle, Ryan Madson, Shawn Kelley, Sammy Solis, Enny Romero, and Koda Glover all spent time on the disabled list.
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Now, before the season has even begun, Glover and Joaquin Benoit are on the shelf with arm injuries.
In order to protect against the inevitable injuries that will occur over the course of the season, the Nats must stock up on pitching depth. Their minor league relief depth is uninspiring at the moment, with Wander Suero being the only notable major league-ready reliever.
However, the Nats recently added to their depth, inking veteran Carlos Torres to a minor league deal.
Torres, 35, has been an effective reliever for a large part of his eight-year career. He struggled a bit with the Cleveland Indians this spring, but his release was mostly due to their crowded bullpen.
Now, Torres has latched on with the Nats.
Torres spent the last two years in Milwaukee, where he ate innings and led the way in a young bullpen. He threw at least 70 innings in each season with the Brewers, proving that he is still able to handle a heavy workload in the later stages of his career.
Last year was a bit of a down year for Torres, as he pitched to a 4.21 ERA, but he had a terrific 2016 season. In 82.1 innings, the veteran posted a 2.73 ERA.
In addition to being fairly reliable as a veteran reliever, Torres offers something that few other Nats relievers offer: exceptional stamina.
The Nats have lacked a bonafide long reliever in the bullpen since Yusmeiro Petit departed after 2016, which has been a bit of an issue. They used Matt Grace as a makeshift long man last year, but his arm was not stretched out enough to handle the workload. He succeeded at first, but eventually ran out of gas.
Unfortunately, despite having an eight-man bullpen to begin the year, the Nats still do not have a bonafide long reliever. If Torres makes his way to the bigs soon, he could serve as the long man. He cannot be depended upon to throw four or five innings, but he can easily go two or three.
Of course, as a veteran with substantial service time, Torres has a few opt-outs if he does not get promoted. With the Nats’ crowded bullpen, it may be a while before there is a clear spot for him.
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If a spot does open up, though, Torres can be a productive member of the relief corps. Although he is not a high-profile addition, he could make an impact if given an opportunity.