By Jordan Long
The Washington Nationals sit at 37-40, 8.5 games behind the Atlanta Braves for 1st place in the National League East Division. They are in the Wild Card race, currently 3 games out of the 2nd Wild Card spot which is held by the Colorado Rockies and the St. Louis Cardinals. Washington decided to cut reliever Trevor Rosenthal in hopes of boosting the bullpen.
Washington agreed to a 1-year deal worth $7 million in the offseason with him even though he missed the 2018 season due to Tommy John surgery. They were hoping Rosenthal would be a dominant arm like he was with the St. Louis Cardinals. In 6 years with the Cardinals, he posted a record of 11-24 with an ERA of 2.99. The record wasn’t great, but Washington knew he could bolster the bullpen with his ability to strike batters out with 435. Those were going to assist Washington late in games to keep the score tight or keep deficit reasonable so Washington had a chance to come back and win.
Unfortunately for them, Rosenthal hasn’t been the pitcher they thought he was going to be. In 6.1 innings, he has given up 15 walks, 8 hits, and has allowed 16 earned runs, not a recipe for success. His ERA is 22.74. It was time to let Rosenthal go.
The Nationals know the bullpen woes are not all on Rosenthal. The Washington Nationals’ bullpen is the worst in Major League Baseball. The total team ERA for the relievers is a dismal 6.29. They have blown 15 saves in 33 chances. These are not stats a team would like to see.
Washington needed to cut him because Rosenthal wasn’t pitching well. They are optimistic this move will make the bullpen better. They are sending a message that if a pitcher struggles, he will be let go.
For Rosenthal who knows if a team will sign him now. His production was poor in Washington and could scare franchises away from agreeing to a contract with him. There might be a team who may want him because he is a veteran arm. For now Rosenthal will play the waiting game and it could be a while before a team takes a chance.
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