Nationals closer Sean Doolittle underwent an MRI on Saturday that revealed a “stress reaction” in his left foot, Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com tweets. There’s no timetable for Doolittle’s return, but he’s expected to miss “weeks, not months,” according to Zuckerman.
Doolittle has already been out since July 7, though the Nationals were surely hoping the left-hander would return after a minimum stay on the 10-day disabled list. Instead, the latest news on Doolittle is yet another negative development for Washington. Expected to contend for a World Series at the beginning of the season, the Nationals have limped to a 48-49 record, placing them 6 1/2 games out in the National League East and six behind a wild-card spot.
Now, considering how poorly their season has gone, it’s unclear just how aggressive the Nationals will be leading up to the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline. There are plenty of relievers set to change hands in the coming days, and the Nats could perhaps be involved in that market if they choose to buy. Of course, they already made a major addition to their bullpen last month in acquiring Kelvin Herrera from the Royals. Herrera hasn’t been close to as effective in Washington as he was in Kansas City for the season’s first couple months, but as an experienced closer, he’s the logical replacement for Doolittle in D.C.
The 31-year-old Doolittle’s void certainly isn’t an easy one to fill, given that he has posted outstanding results since debuting with the A’s in 2012. Doolittle was better than ever this year before going on the DL, as he logged a 1.45 ERA/1.97 FIP with 11.81 K/9 and .72 BB/9 in 37 1/3 innings. He also locked down nearly half of the Nats’ wins, saving 22 of 23 opportunities.
At this point, is the the hit that will cause the selling?
Possibly. Nats have options at closer (Herrera for example), but with so many holes to fill and everyone having a sub-par year, it’s more likely the Nats will stand pat, let some folks go thru FA in the off-season (Harper, Murphy, Gio), and address needs over the winter. There really isn’t a lot to trade, and most of the guys who would return something useful are players you would want to build around.
2019 is looking a lot better for this crew.
Trade harper and any impending free agents.
Too many injuries. Too many pieces underperforming. Get what you can before you lose them for nothing.
Make a run at realmuto in the off season or grandal or an upgrade. Get pen help. Pick up what you need in free agency. Try to compete next year.
You can’t trade Harper now you won’t get anything.
They may not get as good of a return as theyd like but youll find a take for harper. Despite his BA hes putting up 18% walk rate and still has 17% better than league average numbers. Theyll get interest.
I mean you still have a chance at the playoffs and trading him erases a chance of resigning him imo
It WAS trades Harper now they’ll very likely get pieces far more valuable than the comp pick they’ll get when he declines the QO after the season. Re-signing Harper after the season is something the Nats should not do, and this season should drive that concept home to the FO and ownership. I’d be willing to bet that the team’s performance would improve if Harper was traded by the deadline.
“You won’t get anything”
Machado just returned one top prospect plus three lottery tickets to Baltimore.
Harper would bring back something similar to Washington
This is getting painful.