Nationals Notes: Storen, Revere, Papelbon

Here are a few notes out of Washington following the Nationals’ addition yesterday of outfielder Ben Revere and a player to be named for reliever Drew Storen and cash.

• Nats GM Mike Rizzo says the team hasn’t yet determined what Revere’s role will be, James Wagner of the Washington Post tweets. It sounds like Revere could be the Nats’ starting center fielder, or he could move around between the three outfield spots. Center fielder Michael Taylor and left fielder Jayson Werth both had underwhelming seasons in 2015; perhaps Revere’s role could depend in part on how former top prospect Taylor develops, and upon whether everyone in the Nats’ outfield can stay healthy.
• Rizzo says he’s not set on trading closer Jonathan Papelbon unless he can find a suitable trade, tweets Wagner. “We see Papelbon as one of our late-inning relievers,” says Rizzo. (Rizzo previously said something similar about Storen, so it seems unwise to dismiss the possibility of a deal, although Storen’s departure does reduce the Nationals’ bullpen depth.)
• Rizzo adds (again via Wagner on Twitter) that he feels the Nationals’ roster is fairly complete. “I don’t see any major needs we haven’t addressed,” he says. The Nats’ big additions this winter have included Revere, Daniel Murphy, Shawn Kelley, Oliver Perez, Yusmeiro Petit and Stephen Drew.
• In an article written before the Storen trade, Wagner wonders whether the Nationals ought to pursue another starting pitcher. The idea is that the Nats can use more depth, and this year’s strong class of free agent pitching might help them compensate for the possible loss of Stephen Strasburg to free agency next winter, much in the same way that Max Scherzer’s addition last year helped them compensate for the impending loss of Jordan Zimmermann. There have also been recent rumors about the possibility that the Nats could trade Gio Gonzalez. Adding another starter via the free agent market (perhaps Wei-Yin Chen, who is represented by Scott Boras, with whom the Nationals frequently do business) would make even more sense in such a scenario.