FEB. 1, 12:50am: Albers’ contract comes with a $1.15MM base salary and up to $600K worth of incentives, MLBTR has learned (Twitter links). He’ll take home $75K for reaching 25 and 30 appearances, an additional $100K for reaching 35 and 40 appearances, and an extra $125K for his 45th and 50th appearances. Albers also has opt-out dates on March 27 and June 1.
JAN. 31, 10:15pm: Nathan’s contract has a March 24 opt-out date, Heyman further reports (Twitter link)
1:26pm: The Nationals have announced minor-league deals with veteran righties Joe Nathan and Matt Albers. Both will receive invitations to MLB camp. Nathan can earn a $1.25MM salary if he cracks the roster, per Jon Heyman of Fan Rag (Twitter links), with incentives that could push the value past $3MM. Albers’ contract terms have yet to be reported.
It’s tempting to wonder whether the 42-year-old Nathan might factor into the Nats’ still-open closer’s role, though the lack of a 40-man spot suggests that’s not exactly an expected outcome. He does bring 377 career saves with him to D.C., but missed the vast bulk of the past two seasons after requiring Tommy John surgery early in 2015.
Nathan did, however, return to the big league hill last year, striking out nine and walking four batters without giving up a run over 6 1/3 innings. It was a brief sample, but he generated a healthy 14.4% swinging-strike rate and averaged 91.3 mph on his four-seamer.
Last we saw Nathan over a full season, he scuffled to a 4.81 ERA for the Tigers back in 2014. But he turned in an outstanding campaign just one year prior, when he gave the Rangers 64 2/3 innings of 1.39 ERA pitching with 10.2 K/9 against 3.1 BB/9.
There have been some ups and downs of late for Albers, too. Now 34, he was knocked around last year, posting a 6.31 ERA with 5.3 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9 for the White Sox. Before that, however, Albers was quite effective for a rather lengthy stretch; between 2012 and 2015, he spun 170 2/3 frames of 2.32 ERA ball.
Though ERA estimators didn’t quite support those numbers, they did view him as a solid pen arm. Despite a subpar whiff rate, Albers has long generated lots of grounders with his oft-used sinker.
[Related: Updated Nationals’ Depth Chart]
These veteran hurlers figure to compete for spots in the Nationals’ 2017 pen, but Washington’s pen mix is still in some flux. Though Nathan and Albers figure to boost the depth while providing competition, an undeniable need, it remains to be seen what the organization will do about the ninth inning.
I stil think Nathan has something left in the tank.
It’s hard to imagine a 40 year old having TJ surgery would even think about making a coming back, and yet here he is. Tip of the hat to him.
He actually did well in his tiny bit of time with Cubs last year.
And with the Giants. He was better for a small window than Casilla.
Last time saw Matty Albers, he was a shell. Throwing 91-2, not close to the 94-5 he used to stay at from his Boston and Indians days. he have TJ?
Liked the guy, but Francona, when with Boston to start with couldn’t figure out not to throw the guy more than an inning.. he’d blow up the next if left out there.
Maybe a good sign if can regain the velo..
it sounds like you are speaking in code
Lol if they tag him as the closer over Kelly and Treinen it’s a total dusty move
Papelbon: “Yeah, I’m still available.”
Bryce Harpers throat: “Oh dear God.”
Please, we should all be rooting for Albers to finally get a save. I believe he has the second-most games finished in major league history without a save. Ryan Webb is first but I think his career is over.
Dang…Joe Nathan is still in baseball!!!??
It’s a shame that the Lerner family is unwilling to do what is necessary to actually win a World Series. They have spent a great deal of money over the years, but the championship window is closing. To go into this season hoping 42 year old Joe Nathan can take a hold of the closer role when they could easily swing one more trade with the White Sox for a legitimate, current MLB quality closer in David Robertson is frustrating and disheartening. Send Chicago Michael A. Taylor and Pedro Severino for Robertson and sign Matt Wieters to a 1 or 1 deal at $13, and get back to winning a championship. Time to stop coming up just short – go get these guys and win it all!
Werth is the only starting player they figure to lose next year, every other position is set and the rotation would be set if they pick up Gio’s 2nd option. It’s only the bench and bullpen they’re going cheap on. It makes a bit of sense to leave the 5th OF as a competition, because that’s a guy who could get a lot more time in the OF in 2018. But these types of pitcher signings don’t really preclude getting somebody better. There’ll be a lot of innings to cover with the WBC going.
If they sign Wieters, then they should have just signed Ramos for 12 over 2 instead. Those moves together would reflect terribly on the Nats.
Its not as though the Nats havent offered big money to closers this winter either.
Wieters and Ramos are apples and oranges – Wieters proved healthy last season with the O’s, albeit he’s doesn’t seem to be the impact player he was prior to TJ surgery, he’s healthy and capable. Ramos is neither of those things after blowing out his knee a second time within 4-5 years. So, I don’t blame the Nats for opting to go in another direction w/ regards to Ramos – his situation stinks, great guy, but he’s better off in the AL now where he can DH more often than catch.
Signing Wieters to a 1+1 mutual option contract at $13m seems to be a fair deal all the way around. The Nats lineup needs better overall balance, so having two switch-hitting catchers in Wieters and Loboton goes a long way in that regard. Is Wieters perfect? Of course not – but he’s certainly better than either Norris and Loboton and enough time has passed and the number of options he has narrowed to the point where his price should now be tolerable.
Now, my argument for trading with the White Sox for a veteran MLB closer who has actually had success in the job in David Robertson (’14 – 39 saves w Yanks. ’15 – 34 saves w WSx & ’16 – 37 saves w WSx) over a 1 yr, 37 save wonder guy in Alex Colome is the smarter way to go – better to deal with the devil you know than the one you don’t – we know Robertson can do the job, and chances are he’s going to have a terrific season since he’d be changing leagues — a lot of NL hitters haven’t seen him before — not that a lot have seen Colome – but Robertson has a longer track record and is more likely to be a sure thing than a guy who did it once. That’s my point. Buttoning down the back of the ‘Pen at the cost of Michael A. Taylor and Pedro Severino isn’t a high price pay..
If you roll the dice and come up snake eyes as the Nats have done the last couple of years with the closer position while the Championship window continues to shut, that would be a shame.
Make the deals and let’s go!
Solid argument for the Nationals signing Matt Wieters and trading for David Robertson although the White Sox may be more interested in minor league prospect(s) than offensively challenged “suspects” like CF Michael Taylor and C Pedro Severino.
Hahn isn’t gonna settle for Sevs and Taylor, who is now effectively worthless as trade bait.
Ramos was outstanding last year, only Posey and Lucroy were better – that’s a big loss, anyway you cut it. But there’s no one but Boras spreading rumors about the Nats to get a better market for his guy. THey have Norris, and he was average before last year’s awful season, I’d rather they leave budget room for a deadline trade at this point than waste it on Wieters.
It’s pretty clear that the White Sox want more than you offer, and the Nats probably aren’t in a hurry to pay 2/25 for an average closer. 85 percent success rate, hasn’t had a sub-3 era in the role, he’s not dominant. They got burned on paying a premium for average with Rafael Soriano. Melancon was excellent and that got them nothing last year, because what they needed was depth. Kelley has been a better pitcher than Robertson the last few years, and there are still relievers out there for half Robertson’s price without giving up any players.. No reason for minor league deals change that calculus if a guy can be had a fair price.
If they had wanted Wieters, they wouldn’t have traded for Norris, before last year he’d been above average for 3 years.
I would hold on to Severino (who i would go with as starting catcher right now) very strongly if I was Rizzo. Catchers available via FA in next couple years are not very exciting. The ones that could potentially be traded for wouldn’t be worth it in terms of prospects and bad contracts or both. To me Severino is extremely valuable in that the catching market is very thin for buyers. He could easily provide same production as many available for league minimum.
I’d be willing to bet that Ramos provides more value in the half season he will play than Wieters does this whole season. Going with Severino and Lobaton in the first half and then platooning them with Ramos in the second (perhaps with Ramos playing a little 1st base as well) would have been ideal. Not to mention cost millions less than signing Weiters. Ramos’ skills are far greater than Weiters’. For what he signed for its insane more teams weren’t in.
Its crazy to think how different the offseason would have been if Ramos doesnt get hurt and Revere performs anywhere close to his potential.
Since Nathan is not even on the 40 man, I don’t think that he is being relied upon for the closer role. Smart move. If he proves he can pitch than he is great insurance in case of an injury, if not than he won’t even cost them a spot on their roster and he could be released. They may still swing a trade for a closer, but why not pick up a low risk high reward option like Nathan.
Yes, because David Robertson and Matt Wieters are what is standing between the Nats and a WS win…
Robertson lost his command/control last year and walked 4.6/9. Kelly put up a 12.4:1.7 (K:BB)
Adding Robertson and Wieters would certainly help push the Nats more in that direction than not adding them. Doing nothing isn’t going to help. So yeah, go get ’em and leave Kelly where he’s most effective as a set-up man.
You make is sound like the Nats are committing some huge mistake by not adding these two meh players. Adding any player that isn’t below replacement level (or whoever he’d be bumping off the 25 man) helps push a team in the right direction. It’s whether or not those improvements are worth the cost of acquisition. What % chance do you think Matt Wieters + Robertson improve the Nats ws odds? LIke .25% (that’s probably too high)?
Doing nothing could help if it allows the nats to use the $/players used to get those two on better players at the deadline. Opportunity cost.
And how exactly do you know kelly is most effective as a setup man?
I wonder if Nathan throws harder than Holland right now.
Neither signing should preclude the Nationals from pursuing a trade to improve their bullpen. The retooling Rays and rebuilding White Sox would seem to be the logical matches if the teams can compromise on a fair exchange of talent.
The Rays may have the available closer with the most upside in Alex Colome while the White Sox are clearly trying to peddle veteran David Robertson and may be willing to move hard throwing Nate Jones as well. Any of those three figure to be better options as closers or late inning relievers than Joe Nathan or Mat Albers.
The Eaton trade depleted a lot of trade chips for the Nats. Colome and Jones would cost way too much in terms of prospects. As for Robertson, it’s very possible an offer was made and rejected (IIRC, they tried to get him included in the Eaton deal, but the White Sox wanted to deal him separately).
Bottom line: If the Nationals want to significantly upgrade their closer situation in 2017 it will have to come via a trade at this point of the offseason. Otherwise they will be stuck with their in-house options or hope that an additional low cost free agent signing like Sergio Romo can be their answer.
Clearly they were not satisfied with their own roster options to fill the role following last season. If they were, the Nats would not have pursued each one of the premium FA closers who were available this past offseason, Aroldis Chapman, Kenley Jansen and Mark Melancon. They reportedly made strong offers but ultimately lost out on each. As a result, they will now need to make a trade in order to achieve that perceived goal.
The problem, again, is they don’t have the farm system to get someone like Colome or Jones (although I wouldn’t necessarily call Jones a proven closer). If a trade (as someone above mentioned) of Michael Taylor and Pedro Severino for David Robertson was acceptable to the Sox, I think it would have been done by now. The White Sox are most likely going to wait until the trade deadline to see if the Nats or some other team is really desperate. In the meantime, the Nats will just have to hope that one (or more) of their in-house options will be able to take the closer’s reins. Even if Nathan makes the team or they end up signing someone like Romo or Blanton, I think they would be in a setup role.
I thought Nathan was dead!! (figuratively speaking)
So this is how the nats shore up the pen! I hope they at least try to go after Salas or something.
Hernandez?