Twelve games into the 2019 season, the Washington Nationals bullpen has been a disaster. Here are three possible trade targets to fix the struggling pen.
In Major League Baseball in 2019 having a lockdown bullpen is a very important thing. In 2018, seven of the ten teams that qualified for the Postseason had a top-10 bullpen E.R.A. in the entire MLB.
Through twelve games of the Washington Nationals 2019 regular season, the bullpen has been a disaster. Saying it has been a disaster might even be too kind. It has been as bad as it could get. Washington has the highest bullpen E.R.A. in baseball at 8.12. In 37 innings the Nationals bullpen has given up 35 runs and opponents are hitting an alarming .314 against them.
In recent history, the performance of the Nationals bullpen has been a great indicator of whether or not the team makes the Postseason that year. In 2012,2014, and 2016 Washington had a top 10 bullpen in baseball, and they made the playoffs.
As we stand right now it is clear the group the Nationals currently have constructed is not going to get the job done. As great as it would be to give it a month and see if this group can turn things around, in a division as talented as the N.L. East is this season, Washington does not have time to wait around.
If the Nationals are serious about making the Postseason this year, they will need to acquire some outside talent to help their struggling bullpen. It is still very early, but here are four possible trade targets who could help fix the Nats pen.