The Nationals have released reliever Trevor Rosenthal, the team announced. The club recalled fellow right-hander Austin Voth from Double-A Harrisburg to take Rosenthal’s 25-man roster spot.
Rosenthal was a standout reliever for most of his run with the Cardinals from 2012-17, during which he was a dominant closer at times. However, Rosenthal’s Cardinals career came to an unfortunate end when he underwent Tommy John surgery in August 2017. He sat out 2018 while rehabbing the injury, but Rosenthal parlayed his track record in St. Louis into a $7MM guarantee with the Nationals last November. The Nats still owe Rosenthal approximately $3.73MM.
Washington’s hope upon signing Rosenthal was that he’d help repair a bullpen that was among the league’s worst in 2018. Instead, Rosenthal became the poster boy for an even sorrier Nationals relief corps this season. The trouble began right away for the 29-year-old Rosenthal, who failed to record a single out until his fifth appearance of the season. After a couple more weeks of struggles, the Nationals sent Rosenthal to the injured list April 26 because of a viral infection.
Rosenthal finally returned from a rehab assignment June 10, but his long layoff didn’t lead to a rebirth. Fittingly, he didn’t get anyone out during his final Nationals appearance in a loss Saturday versus the Braves, who posted three earned runs on three walks against him. Rosenthal concluded his disastrous D.C. run with a 22.74 ERA and 7.11 K/9 against an unbelievable 21.32 BB/9 in 6 1/3 innings.
As woeful as Rosenthal has been this year, he still has his Cardinals days and a 98 mph fastball on which to hang his hat. Consequently, teams could pursue Rosenthal on a minor league contract in his return to free agency.
No surprise. Matheny ruined many a reliever and their careers.
So he single handedly ruined Rosenthal in just 12 appearances? He’s getting efficient.
Read my comment. Please READ my comment. Matheny was Rosenthal’s manager in STL for 6 seasons. Totally overused him, just like he did many other relievers. Maness and Bowman to name 2 more.
I would qualify the :overuse” to say that he was overused as a one dimensional RP. If he was able to master an off-speed pitch, along with better control, he would have thrown fewer pitches, resulting in less arm stress. Ultimately, the person responsible for the “overuse” was TR.
Always blame Matheny for players poor performances. Like any manager makes a big difference. If the players do their jobs the manager looks like a genius. When they don’t do their jobs blame the clueless manager. I think some fans are completely clueless and a lot of comments here prove me right.
You’re clueless. A manager has total control of the bullpen. He also needs to understand how he can overuse a reliever. I’ve read enough of your comments you have no clue about baseball. You are one of the many poster children for the DeWitt and Mo philosophy.
So let me clue you in on your comment. According to your comment, the only thing to decipher is managers are worthless and not needed. This explains your concept of baseball. I know now to not even acknowledge your comments from here on out.
Hey Nick! Your clueless!
I love illiterate people calling others clueless. YOU’RE clueless, Themed. Good night.
You forgot one. It should be Hey, Nick!
Hey since Jed Gerko is on the IL so much clueless nick maybe that’s Mike Matheny’s fault also. He must have played him too much.
he needs a minors deal so he can have more time to rehab.
he was down for almost a month…mo control…was really hoping he would be a good story
Not NEARLY enough time to regain control after TJ. A lot of guys struggle with control for their first several months back from TJ. Sounds like Rosenthal just needed more rehab time before his assignment to begin with.
He never had any control; that’s always been his problem and it’s not likely to go away at age 29, TJ or not.
Yeah already tried that. When he came back up it appeared, briefly, he might have turned it around. The Braves game last night was the last straw.
Hopefully he can catch on with the Nats. I think he still has it and they need the bullpen help.
Nats just cut him
Don’t let facts get in the way of opinions.
Most fans never do. Grab onto a narrative and hold onto it with your claws and teeth no matter what the truth is.
Irony!
Baseball and Werthers post confuses me
Don’t assume that every comment made on this site makes sense.
Even the best commenters can make stupid mistakes.
I just try to not make mine in writing.
You mean the Mets?
I think you mean the Nets, Brooklynn needs a new PG
His arm is shot. Just like Jordan Hicks will be when he’s Rosenthal’s age. Made his debut at 22. Threw 100 mph every pitch. Overused. Now he just turned 29. He’s likely done.
He’s not shot. The guy was sitting at 97+. Control is mostly mental, and any pressure situation, he’d completely lose it. Wish him luck because he seems like a nice, fun clubhouse guy, but he should go see a sports shrink to get his head right first.
He’s shot. 97 mph with no movement and no secondary pitch. Instead of re-inventing himself, he just keeps throwing straight fastballs that even AAA hitters will hit.
97 mph isn’t special anymore. For a reliever, anyway. Especially if it’s flat. And also if it’s 3 feet off the plate and 2 feet over a batters headv
Totally agree. That was my point.
He’s not shot. His control has never been the greatest. When recovering from TJ surgery, you normally don’t feel like your old self until 2 years after
He’s a 98.4mph AVERAGE. That’s quite special.
It is special. Not many guys can accumulate a 22.74 ERA in 12 games with that special speed
It’s a massive understatement to say that his control “has never been the greatest”.
Especially if it’s flat. This is the truth.
control is mostly mental? lololololoooooool
You lose all your credibility with childish stuff like “lololololoooooool”
No, half of control is 50% mental.
Does Rosenthal still throw exclusively from the stretch? That was supposed to help his control problems to a degree. Is he still doing that and still have this bad of control?
Yeah, Aroldis Chapman’s arm is barely hanging on by a ligament…oh wait, no it’s not. He has been durable and continues to pound in some of the hardest heat in the game. Speed of the pitch doesn’t lead to arm troubles and 100 mph is just a human constructed measurement that isn’t that much different from 95 with regards to wear on the arm. Pick up a book before you open your mouth
GareBear, go educate yourself. Every single orthopedic surgeon has stated arm injuries in pitchers is due to overuse and throwing harder with more torque than a body can take. If you think this is a mental issue, then you need to pick up a book and educate yourself. Some pitchers just have a higher tolerance of pain or their body is just stronger. And you mention Chapman. He would top out at 105 early in his career. As recently as this year, he was throwing 92. He has adjusted his pitching to accommodate his age and wear and tear on his body. He is usually around 97 on his fastball. That’s a far cry from 105. At 31, he has figured out, in order to stay in this game, that throwing 103mph like Hicks is not the way to go.
Seems like it’s morphing to the point where, if you want to be a reliever in the majors, you either throw 100MPH and accept a shorter career or “learn to pitch,” so to speak, and hope to hook up with a team that appreciates the approach.
Yeah, so Chapman’s velocity has declined some with age, forcing him to make some adjustments, just like any other pitcher who’s ever played the game. You can’t blame that on him throwing over 100 MPH to begin with.
Chapman is a genetic freak. He was built to hurl baseballs 100+ mph.
I’d say its in his head also.
He’s still throwing gas, it’s just not going where he wants it. He also hasn’t thrown his changeup as much since TJ.
Just like with Nolan Ryan and Justin Verlander too, right?
Go watch Ryan highlights of his career. He and Seaver were the best at utilizing their lower body for power. For every guy you can mention about power that didn’t have control or arm issues, I’ll give you 10 that did.
Amazingly Hicks just tore his UCL.
If he can parlay a 22.74 ERA into ANY sort of contract (including, say, batboy), then hats off to him.
If I were the Pirates I would take a flyer on him.If his arm is not shot,and they can put him in AAA for a month,he may yet turn out well.
I am biased because I think that he killed the Pirates while with the Cardinals.
So the Pirates can call him just after they’ve traded away their veterans on expiring contracts, huh? Is there any point in a cellar dweller taking a flier on someone like this?
Not sure what your point is Lanidrac,or if you have one.
Suggested low cost flyers harm no one.Perhaps he can regain what he has lost.It is worth taking a small chance was my point.
These suggestions could apply to any team who wants to take a low cost chance on someone who has had success in the past.Who could not use another reliever who is low cost?
Best way to answer is to ask ‘is there any reason for NOT taking a chance? I assume he will amount to nothing this year, but there is not a lot of downside risk.
Agreed. He wouldn’t cost more than the prorated league minimum. Even the Rays can afford that.
Mendoza Line 215, I would agree. Also the Pirates have a really good pitching coach who they signed away from the Cardinals.
Pirates pitching coach is really helping Archer right?
I think Archer needs to help Archer.
He has the stuff to be a good pitcher.
He needs to concentrate to be able to make the pitches.Not sure how much the pitching coach can help with that aspect.
I guess this falls under the category of “worth a shot but just didn’t work out”.
Yeh,but it was a $7.3 M shot!
What was Rizzo thinking?
I was not aware of the $7.3 M (I’m not a Nats fan sorry)
I’m not either.
I was wrong,just $7 M.
It is in the article.
Braves need to see if they can get him on a low risk minor league deal. Maybe he figures it back out this year. Got to be mental for him at the moment.
Maybe we can get a 2 for 1 “Sports Psychologist Special” for him and Folty.
Haha for sure! They need it bad!!!
no the Braves dont
22.74 is the 4th-worst ERA in MLB history for someone facing at least 43 batters in a season. baseball-reference.com/tiny/10mRM
I feel terrible for Rosey. He always had moments of loss of control, but he could usually reign it back in. Matheny overused him and it showed as his career progressed. Matheny used relievers as disposable commodities.
I’d say Rosey’s biggest hurdle is the mental side of pitching now.
Do yourselves a favor and go look at his game log for this year. Insane lols
Yeah got to think he is cooked!
The Dodgers will pick him up, send him to AAA and try and salvage him.
Maybe he can break into the family business with his Uncle Ken.
Here is quote from Rothman Orthopedics. “Arm issues, especially the elbow, can develop acutely in pitchers who throw too hard or with incorrect technique. The telling signs are LOSS OF CONTROL, pain in the inner elbow and joint instability”. So there you have it. I picked up a book and educated myself with what I ALREADY KNEW. So now I’m educating GareBear, and any other people who believe throwing hard DOESN’T have an effect on a pitchers arm. And loss of control is not mental. My educated guess is Rosenthal is still hurt and not nearly at 100%. He’s likely not even 75%.
Note the “OR with incorrect technique”. Logically, the statement allows for throwing hard, so long as the technique is correct.
Note my point that I was arguing was control is a physical thing. Not mental. It’s not like he’s Ankiel or Steve Blass throwing the ball 10 feet over the catcher or 4 feet short of home plate. Rosenthal has physical issues. Plain and simple.
He needs to get a haircut as all that weight of hair is making his head wobble causing him to throw many walks. Once he gets a haircut and he gets involved with a good pitching coach the mechanics may be able to be corrected..
Sid-This is an interesting concept that I have never seen before.
Theoretically,these pitchers should have a haircut every week to keep the amount of hair on their head at about the same length.
I wonder if Gabe Kapler has any statistics on this concept.
By the way,Sid,we still hate you in Pittsburgh for suddenly finding foot speed in 1992 after you had left the Pirates.
Jacob degrom pitches well with long hair, so has Noah Syndergaard, Johnny Cueto, mike cleavenger and Clayton kershaw.
I hope things work out for him. I loved him as a Cardinal fan and would enjoy seeing him find a way back
Perfect buy-low candidate for the Red Sox! Put him in AAA for a few weeks to see if he can get his head straight. If not, no damage done. But if they could salvage him, he’d be their 2nd or 3rd best option out of the bullpen!
We’d still have to pay money, even if it was pro-rated league minimum. I’d like to save what little cushion we have for someone likely to help.
I think the White Sox could use him in Charlotte.
The road back from TJ is different for everyone. The Nats obviously knew he wasn’t ready to pitch so I’m not sure why they threw him out there to fail.
The Nats dont care. They paid him last year NOT to pitch, so they want their money’s worth. If he fails, they release him with him coming off the books at the end of the year. He wasn’t a long term investment. Teams don’t care about players and their health if they aren’t long term commitments.
Agreed and they are desperate to get in the wild card running. That’s a short time frame goal.
He’d be better if for clouds and sky.Dolphins root seahorses, ya know what I mean?
He should hire Rick Ankiel as a mentor
Would like to see Boston take a flier on him! Braser sucks this year!
His name is BrasIer, and his ERA is 3.45 this year. Rosenthal is at 22.74. Put another way, Rosenthal’s WHIP is higher than Basier’s ERA.
No No Twins. Stay away.
Guarantee he goes somewhere else and pitches great. Way to go Rizzo. Maybe it’s time for you to let someone else pick the bullpen personnel, because clearly you suck at it.
He traded away Vazquez & Treinen, both All-stars last year. I find it ironic that their pursuit of BP help has led them to an even worse BP.
In Rizzo’s defense he did get Mark Melancon and Sean Doolittle with Ryan Madson for these young pitchers at the trading deadline.
He clearly held short term gain paramount as his team was in contention both years.
Craig Stammen and Brandon Kintzler are still pitching pretty well too.
It’s about time. His WHIP is so high that it would win a batting title most seasons!
Trevor Rosenthal looks like another candidate for a non-roster minor league contract for the Minnesota Twins. If the Twins can gather enough of these reclamation projects, and throw them against the AAA wall, one of them has to stick, right?