{"id":5773,"date":"2017-05-10T14:53:48","date_gmt":"2017-05-10T18:53:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonbaseball.com\/?p=5773"},"modified":"2017-05-10T14:59:24","modified_gmt":"2017-05-10T18:59:24","slug":"nationals-bullpen-issues-prevent-playoff-run","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2017\/05\/10\/nationals-bullpen-issues-prevent-playoff-run\/","title":{"rendered":"Nationals Bullpen Issues Could Prevent Deep Playoff Run"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Going into the 2017 MLB season, the Washington Nationals bullpen was dealt a crushing blow. After losing closer <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/m\/melanma01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Mark Melancon<\/a><\/strong> to the San Francisco Giants in free agency, the Nationals were left without a\u00a0ninth inning specialist. However, instead of finding his replacement in free agency or on the trade market, they opted to resolve their late-inning dilemma internally &#8211; a decision which has led to disastrous results\u00a0and could\u00a0keep them out of the NLCS.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: left;\">Nationals Bullpen Issues Could Prevent Deep Playoff Run<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">By staying in house with righties <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/t\/treinbl01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Blake Treinen<\/a><\/strong>, <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/k\/kellesh01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Shawn Kelley<\/a><\/strong>, and <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/g\/gloveko01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Koda Glover<\/a><\/strong>, the Nationals felt that they still had the makeup of a productive bullpen; however, that notion has proven to be dead wrong. With all three righties getting rocked in the late innings, they\u2019ve been underwhelming, to say the least, as they\u2019ve contributed to the downfall of the Nationals bullpen as a whole. The rest of the Nationals bullpen has been just as bad, if not worse.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/b\/blantjo01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Joe Blanton<\/a><\/strong>: 9.75 ERA<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Blake Treinen: 8.59 ERA<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/s\/solissa01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Sammy Solis<\/a><\/strong>: 8.31 ERA<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/g\/gracema02.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Matt Grace<\/a><\/strong>: 6.00 ERA<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Shawn Kelley: 5.40 ERA<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/r\/romeren01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Enny Romero<\/a><\/strong>: 5.28 ERA<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/p\/perezol01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Oliver Perez<\/a><\/strong>: 4.32 ERA<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Koda Glover: 4.15 ERA<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Nationals bullpen as a whole has been lackluster, and is a serious problem\u00a0going forward. Most recently, they blew both a three and a two run lead in the eighth inning to the Philadelphia Phillies and Baltimore Orioles, respectively. However, these woes haven&#8217;t played out\u00a0in just these two games. Throughout the season, the Nationals bullpen has failed to get outs and finish games &#8211; a facet of their team which is their achilles heel, and may hurt them in the biggest way.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Despite having arguably the best lineup in the majors, led by <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/search\/search.fcgi?pid=zimmery01,zimmer004rya&amp;search=Ryan+Zimmerman&amp;utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Ryan Zimmerman<\/a><\/strong> and <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/h\/harpebr03.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Bryce Harper<\/a><\/strong>, as well as one of the best one-two punches in baseball with\u00a0<strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/s\/scherma01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Max Scherzer<\/a><\/strong> and <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/s\/strasst01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Stephen Strasburg<\/a><\/strong>, the Nationals bullpen prevents them from being serious World Series contenders.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For a team whose window for success is rapidly closing, it\u2019s unacceptable for the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/stats\/team\/_\/stat\/pitching\/split\/128\/order\/true\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Nationals bullpen to have a 5.47 ERA (third worst in the majors)<\/a> as a whole. If they can\u2019t close out games, or stop the bleeding for their starting staff, they stand no chance come October. The logical solution would be to go out and find a closer or a top notch reliever on the trade market. However, doing so will be challenging given the lack of assets the Nationals have at their disposal, as well as the few game changing relievers who will be available.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After surrendering two of their three top prospects in pitchers <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/g\/giolilu01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Lucas Giolito<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0<strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/l\/lopezre01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Reynaldo Lopez<\/a><\/strong>, as well as 2015 first round pick <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/register\/player.fcgi?id=dunnin000dan&amp;utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Dane Dunning<\/a><\/strong>, for outfielder <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/search\/search.fcgi?pid=eatonad02,eatonad01&amp;search=Adam+Eaton&amp;utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Adam Eaton<\/a><\/strong>, the Nationals are thin in terms of trade chips. Despite all of that, could they still swing a trade?<\/span><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: left;\">Potential Trade Targets<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At the moment, the reliever market is rather thin, but two names have been shopped around who may intrigue the Nationals, one being Kansas City Royals righty <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/h\/herreke01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Kelvin Herrera<\/a><\/strong>. Herrera has pitched as both a set-up man and closer in years past. His versatility, despite\u00a0his shaky 2017 start, could intrigue the Nationals enough for them to surrender pitching prospect <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/register\/player.fcgi?id=fedde-000eri&amp;utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Erick Fedde<\/a><\/strong> or, potentially,\u00a0<strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/register\/player.fcgi?id=voth--000aus&amp;utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Austin Voth<\/a><\/strong>. The other option for the Nationals is to finally swing a deal for Chicago White Sox closer <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/r\/roberda08.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">David Robertson<\/a><\/strong>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>The righty Robertson was linked to the Nationals the entire offseason as a ninth inning target. Could their severe woes finally motivate them to pull the trigger on a deal? In the third year of his four-year, $46 million deal, Robertson could come in and be the Nationals closer from the get-go. However, if the Nationals cannot pull off a deal for either one or both of Herrera and Robertson, then they\u2019ll have to find internal solutions &#8211; a daunting, yet still not impossible task.<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: left;\">Potential Internal Solutions<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When it comes to finding internal solutions to the back-end of their bullpen, the Nationals have a few options, one being making<strong> <a href=\"http:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/r\/rossjo01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Joe Ross<\/a><\/strong> the closer. While Ross has struggled immensely on the mound this year, posting a 7.47 ERA, a role change could be just what the doctor ordered. The Nationals could also opt to make <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/c\/coleaj01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">A.J. Cole<\/a><\/strong> (who pitched six solid innings on the mound last week) the closer instead. Outside of their starters, the Nationals could send up righty <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/g\/gotttr01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&amp;utm_source=direct&amp;utm_medium=linker-\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Trevor Gott<\/a><\/strong>, who was acquired from the Los Angeles Angels in a trade just a year ago.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>The Nationals bullpen has been remarkably horrific so far in the 2017 season. If their woes aren&#8217;t resolved, they will be not be playing in the NLCS this fall.<\/p>\n<p>Main Photo:<\/p>\n<div class=\"getty embed image\" style=\"background-color: #fff; display: inline-block; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue',Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; color: #a7a7a7; font-size: 11px; width: 100%; max-width: 594px;\">\n<div style=\"padding: 0; margin: 0; text-align: left;\"><a style=\"color: #a7a7a7; text-decoration: none; font-weight: normal !important; border: none; display: inline-block;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.gettyimages.com\/detail\/681011058\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Embed from Getty Images<\/a><\/div>\n<div style=\"overflow: hidden; position: relative; height: 0; padding: 66.666667% 0 0 0; width: 100%;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"display: inline-block; position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; margin: 0;\" src=\"\/\/embed.gettyimages.com\/embed\/681011058?et=WnulPERpQ25VAsFGWPV6Vg&amp;tld=com&amp;viewMoreLink=off&amp;sig=Dqg9sS0WTFThp4RrUW7YrDR0ydr73HHc4m9gP1Iqgkw=&amp;caption=true\" width=\"594\" height=\"396\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p style=\"margin: 0;\">\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Going into the 2017 MLB season, the Washington Nationals bullpen was dealt a crushing blow. After losing closer Mark Melancon to the San Francisco Giants in free agency, the Nationals were left without a\u00a0ninth inning specialist. However, instead of finding his replacement in free agency or on the trade market, they opted to resolve their [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1631,"featured_media":5783,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[19,1071],"tags":[68,1275,1033,69,178,38],"class_list":["post-5773","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nationals","category-mlb","tag-baseball","tag-david-robertson","tag-kelvin-herrera","tag-mlb","tag-nl-east","tag-washington-nationals"],"modified_by":"Josh Greenberg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5773","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1631"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5773"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5773\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5783"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5773"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5773"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5773"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}