Washington Nationals: Bullpen set for a complete facelift this winter

This feels like a familiar position, but the Washington Nationals bullpen is once again in need of a complete revamp this winter.

It’s become a worrying theme in recent seasons, but the Washington Nationals bullpen was once again shaky in 2018. There are some expiring contracts and some players who have a lot to do to earn their spot again next year so it could be time to revamp the relief corps.

Early on, it seemed like the bullpen may not be a huge issue as they ranked fourth in the NL and ninth in the majors in ERA at the All-Star break. Then the wheels came off in the second half as Sean Doolittle was forced to miss significant time with a stress reaction in his toe.

While Doolittle was out, the team ranked 23rd in the majors in ERA and 12th in the National League. There’s reason to believe they were lucky to be that high, as when you take a look at the bullpen’s FIP, they ranked 29th overall and dead last in the senior circuit.

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While there were a few arms who did impress, given the volatility of relief pitchers, it would be wise to bring in a wave of other arms and see which stick. So let’s take a look at the current relievers and see where they fit in.

Roster Locks

Strangely, when you look at those under contract, there are only really two absolute locks to make the roster. Unsurprisingly, Sean Doolittle is one. He has club options for 2019 and 2020 and $6 million and $6.5 million respectively and is one of the best closers in the game right now. Not even a debate.

The second lock is Matt Grace. He had another strong season in 2018 with 2.87 ERA and 3.40 FIP while able to go multiple innings at a time in either mop-up duty or filling in if the starter got injured. What makes him a complete lock is the fact he has no options remaining on his deal, so if the Nats chose not to keep him on the 25 man roster, he’d have to pass through waivers. For someone who is more valuable than he first appears, the chances of that seem little to none.

Could make the team, but…

The pitchers in this category have a strong chance to make the team but have other factors that could come into it. For example, Wander Suero and Koda Glover certainly were incredibly useful during their big league stints in 2018, but with options on their contract, they could be sent back down if more valuable pitchers present themselves.

Justin Miller and Tim Collins initially looked like brilliant finds off the scrap heap by Mike Rizzo. However, by the end of the year, both were struggling which makes their roster spots questionable. If they perform in Spring Training, they should be able to secure their spots on the team.

Not likely to return

Relievers are in this group for a variety of reasons, but if they start the year on the active roster, hide behind the couch in the late innings. Jimmy Cordero and Austen Williams certainly were able to prove they had promise playing in the minor leagues. However, it didn’t translate to the major leagues with them finishing on a 5.68 ERA and 5.59 ERA respectively. Expect them to be optioned to Double-A, so they can be called up at short notice as bullpen depth.

Sammy Solis and Trevor Gott are both out of options in 2019, and both pitched poorly in 2018. Solis was used a lot early while he was effective, but after he was sent to Triple-A the wheels fell off. Gott finished the year with a 5.68 ERA and a WHIP of 1.53, he’s never really shown to be able to step up consistently for the Nats. The Nats should try and designate these two for assignment, and if they can hold them in the minors, then they could be useful depth, but if not, no loss.

Free Agency

The two key free agents that the Nats have are Kelvin Herrera and Greg Holland. The former was acquired from the Kansas City Royals mid-season, but could never get fully healthy for the team and seems set to leave. Holland, on the other hand, was picked up at his lowest and dominated. It’s feasible the Nationals could extend him and make him their eighth-inning guy, which a lot of fans would be all for.

With only two locks, there are several spots that could be filled, either by free agency or by calling up minor leaguers. After letting go of Ryan Madson and Brandon Kintzler midseason, the front office should be looking to pursue a couple of higher-profile, but not quite the very top-end talent free agents, such as Adam Ottavino, Jeurys Familia or David Robertson.

But you can’t form an entire bullpen from paying significant sums in free agency, it’s financially unwise. You need to dig out some gems with minor league contracts and Spring Training invites, and minor leaguers that have impressed, which will get you the next Suero and Glover. For example, James Bourque certainly has impressed in the minors, and now he needs to be added to the 40 man roster to avoid the Rule 5 Draft, he could get a look this spring.

Washington Nationals and bullpen troubles have been a marriage made in hell for the fans the last few years. They need to review the whole corps and figure out a way to ditch the narrative that’s surrounded them.