Report: Nationals pursuing newly released K-Rod
The Washington Nationals will leave no stone unturned in their quest to fix their leaky bullpen.
Beset with the worst relief corps in the National League, Washington is said to be pursuing veteran closer Francisco Rodriguez, the six-time All-Star who was released by the Detroit Tigers last week following an abysmal start to his 2017 campaign, according to Jon Heyman of MLB Network.
In 28 appearances with the Tigers, Rodriguez, who leads all active pitchers with 437 saves, stumbled to a 7.82 ERA and 1.66 WHIP, blowing six of his 13 save opportunities and losing the ninth-inning job in May. On Friday, one day after allowing a season-high four runs at Safeco Field, Rodriguez was released with roughly $3 million left on his contract.
Still, the Nationals' bullpen hasn't fared much better, collectively, in 2017, even though Washington boasts a nine-game lead atop the National League East. None of Shawn Kelley, Blake Treinen, or Koda Glover (who's currently on the disabled list) had much success closing, and all but two of the club's five most-used relievers above 4.02, contributing to their bullpen's league-worst -0.1 WAR.
| Name | G | ERA | WHIP | K/BB | HR/9 | LOB% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Enny Romero | 32 | 3.34 | 1.37 | 2.79 | 1.03 | 77.1% |
| Blake Treinen | 31 | 5.63 | 1.69 | 2.08 | 0.84 | 69.5% |
| Matt Albers | 26 | 1.95 | 0.83 | 4.71 | 0.98 | 86.5% |
| Oliver Perez | 24 | 4.02 | 1.15 | 5.25 | 1.15 | 74.1% |
| Koda Glover | 23 | 5.12 | 1.24 | 4.25 | 0.47 | 57.5% |
| Shawn Kelley | 22 | 7.00 | 1.61 | 2.22 | 4.50 | 91.5% |
| Joe Blanton | 20 | 9.00 | 1.83 | 3.20 | 4.00 | 65.8% |