This could be an exciting offseason for the Washington Nationals.
Owner Mark Lerner said he is willing to open up his checkbook to spend on free agents if general manager Mike Rizzo feels this is what this team needs this cycle. But the Nationals have several of their top prospects making it to the big leagues, and in the past campaign, the front office has been considering whether to add players or give the team more time to develop young players. .
Still, Washington is expected to spend to be able to upgrade certain positions on this roster.
There’s a lot of attention on first base due to players scheduled to play in exhibition games this winter, but the bullpen could benefit from reinforcements as well.
District on Deck’s Reese Evans believes the Nationals should target New York Yankees star reliever Clay Holmes.
“He’s appeared in at least 60 games over the last three seasons, pitched 60 innings, had 65 strikeouts and fewer than 25 walks. He’s someone Davey Martinez can rely on out of the Nats’ bullpen… “One of the best second-half pitchers,” he wrote. “Holmes is a reliever in baseball and should be at the top of Coach Rizzo’s list to take Washington’s bullpen to the next level.”
Holmes is certainly someone teams should consider.
The right-handed pitcher has struggled this season, failing in 13 out of 43 save opportunities, but he still had a very solid year, posting an ERA of 3.14 and an ERA+ that was 31 points higher than the league average. I spent it.
His consistency coming out of the bullpen in high-leverage situations will be a huge improvement for Washington.
The Nationals finished 21st in bullpen ERA at 4.14, so it’s clear they need to find new weapons, whether it’s an internal or outside option.
Holmes would definitely provide that, and with Washington’s ability to spend money this offseason, he should be a realistic option for them to pursue.
