The Bullpen Problem

I’m not going to sit here and pretend I’m okay with the state of the Nationals bullpen right now. If I’m being honest, I can’t see how anyone claiming to be a Nats fan could be. 

THAT BEING SAID I’m not sure what exactly Mike Rizzo or Davey Martinez are supposed to do about it. 

Some fans have said there are better pitchers sitting at home right now without a contact…but are there? Looking a list with some of the available names there isn’t really anyone who I’d take over the current staff. Ross Stripling is there and he has had more success as a relief pitcher than a starter, but his last contract as $12.5M per season…if the club isn’t going to pay that for Kyle Finnegan (who as the closer is presented as the best option out of the bullpen), they’re certainly not going to pay that for anyone else. I feel like it’s safe to say the solution to the Washington bullpen isn’t coming through free agency right now.

Let’s look at the next option…the trade market. It’s not cheap to get a top-quality player at any position, let alone a relief pitcher. The last big-name reliever to get traded was Devin Williams back in December from the Brewers to the Yankees. To get him, the Yankees had to give up Nestor Cortes (a pitcher who has been an all-star and a lock in the Yankees rotation), a decent prospect in Caleb Durbin and cash. That’s a steep price to play for a pitcher who isn’t going to pitch that often. You also have to think that any GM in the league when fielding a call from Rizzo about relief pitching would (and should frankly) ask for way more than any pitcher is worth. The Nats are loaded with young talent right now, and are in desperate need of bullpen help….you’d have to think that would mean the price is higher. If we look at the Williams trade again and use that as a basis for a deal, the Nats would need to give up a starter from their rotation, a prospect who is on the cusp of making The Show, and cash. The conversation I’d hope would stop at the first part and never make it to the second….the Nationals don’t have the depth right now (due in part to the injury situation) to get rid of any of the starters. I just can’t see a world in which the Nats would be able to trade for RP without giving up way too much. 

One other thought that’s been in my mind while thinking about this as well: how many of the situations this season, where the bullpen has either cost the Nats the game or come close to it, would have had Derek Law pitching instead of someone of these other guys? Martinez used Law heavily last year and relied on him, and Law delivered with an ERA of 2.60 and a WHIP of 1.18 over 90 innings pitched. You have to imagine Rizzo would have been more active in the market to try and sign some FA relief pitching had they known Law would go down after just one spring training outing. At that point there wasn’t really anyone left on the market. 

Like I started this post off by saying I’m no happier with the state of the bullpen than any other Nationals fan especially after the club BARELY held on to what was a 10-run lead Saturday. I know it was at Coors Field in Denver, but I’m not going to give them a pass just because of that…there has been too many games like that throughout the season. I’m repeating myself again but despite how unhappy everyone (including everyone in the Nationals organization) is with how the bullpen has been performing for most of this young season, there isn’t any easy answer here. Like the club (and us fans) have been dealing with for what seems like forever we just have to endure this…it’ll be painful at times for all but we have to trust a solution will be found by the people who get paid a LOT to run the team.