Well there are lots of cases where some other team's trash ended up being a benefit to another team. Relievers are finicky. We picked up Rodney with a 9+ ERA off waivers in 2019 and he ended up pitching 33 mostly solid innings for us.
Also, even though its been reported in some media outlets, As of today its still not registered on the Major League Transactions log so he may not have been optioned. Only Zak Kent's option is officially listed.
Trevor Williams should be back shortly after the ASB. He has been moved up to AA for his next rehab assignment. While some people say to heck with that, he pitched at nearly an all star level in 2024 and will likely be an improvement over other options. It gives Butera another option to use over Lord in long relief.
They've picked up 4 relievers off waivers in the last two weeks that they are trying out at AAA to see if they can help. Improving a BP mid season is often times an exercise in trial and error.
Not sure what you mean about not being optioned. Nationals Communications announced that he had been claimed off outright waivers. He can't be sent to AAA either.
A real shame of this loss is that it obscures both a gritty comeback to tie it after being down 4-0 and a VERY heady bit of baserunning by James to score the tying run on a blooper to short (Griffen showing part 1 of why greatness is predicted for him; part 2 on display with the go ahead two run single in the 7th)
Lightheadedness is a symptom of dehydration and also fatigue - being on “regular rest” assumes you are sleeping through the night. If Cavalli was telling the truth about being upset, he was not sleeping well, and it caught up with him
So Yean goes back to Rochester after 2 lights-out innings of relief. Because Krook will be demonstrably better? They know that already? Sometimes it looks like the Nats punish success.
I agree. But this Krook guy is currently pitching to an ERA of 17.16. From the outside, the Nats' pitching process looks willy-nilly. I have a hard time imagining a scenario where he will help the Nats short or long term.
Still cooling my heels (so to speak) down here in the Outer Banks and trying to catch up.
Sorry to see the Buccos take the series. I'll read the boxscores later but looks like another bullpen blow up. And just saw the news on Hassell. That was in the cards I'd say. He'll undoubtedly get snagged by somebody.
If this bullpen keeps bursting into flames, and I don’t mean just giving up a run or two, it is going to affect the morale of the team. It already seems to be affecting Butera’s decisions.
Right now, they have a dime holding up a dollar. The rest of this team is competitive. Could other areas be improved? Sure, but that’s true of almost every team outside of maybe the Dodgers or Braves, and even their fans would probably tell you they still have problems.
The Nationals have tried the waiver wire and minor league arms, and some of those pitchers may eventually turn into something. But learning how to pitch in the big leagues while your team is trying to stay in Wild Card contention is rarely done for a reason.
They need to make a decision now. Either go get another lefty and a real closer, or admit this is a development year. But don’t keep abusing certain arms because you’re halfway trying to compete and halfway trying to develop.
Middle relievers already have some of the shortest careers in baseball. Don’t turn a useful young arm into an innings eater just because the rest of the bullpen is gasoline.
While I agree with your assessment and analysis of the BS pen, I am not convinced the front office is committed to a wildcard run. If they were then you would expect them to invest in some quality relief pitchers. I think the front office is facing a conundrum that they were not expecting…an unexpectedly competitive team. I don’t think they anticipated nor planned for this contingency and thus they are scrambling to cycle whatever they between ROC and South Capitol St.
I agree. I don’t think they expected to be in this position, and now they’re stuck halfway between competing and evaluating.
If the roster wasn’t built for this, then make a decision. Either add real bullpen help, or treat it like a development year. I’ll live with either decision, but don’t pretend you’re doing both, and don’t destroy the few good young arms you have in the process.
At that point, winning every game stops being the most important thing, and developing certain pitchers becomes the priority. Stop cycling through waiver-wire arms unless you think they’re part of the long-term plan.
They’ve already gone through more than 20 bullpen arms this year, not even counting position players. That’s not a stable plan for a team trying to win; that’s an audition line. And I don’t think it’s fair to Butera, either. He’s being asked to manage a bullpen that wasn’t really built for the situation the team is now in.
Cannot argue with you when you are right. I also think that ownership has a strict not to exceed budget under any circumstances… hence waiver wire dumpster diving and pitcher roulette between ROC and South Capitol St.
You think Taboni would have accepted this job with such noncompetitive financial limitations? I don't, and I think this is just a group of players exceeding expectations and Taboni and company have been caught off guard and are not prepared to make the changes needed to go for it
Dave—I really don’t know Paul Taboni…so I cannot speak to what conversations or motivations drove his decision to accept the job. Do I think he andhis staff were caught off guard…absolutely yes. Everyone speculated before and through ST this team was a 65 win team. No one was contemplating this team would be in the wild card discussion. The mere fact that they have not spent money nor made significant trades to fix the bull pen etcis pretty indicative that there is no budget. Do I think there “a” plan…yes but this generation of Lerners do not appear to be interested in spending money betting on the come. Moreover, I dare say they are probably pretty concerned that the new CBA will contain a Payroll “floor” that will force them to spend to be more competitive.
Feels like the wildcard chance is slipping away with losses to teams such as Marlins and Pirates, not to mention so many blown leads. That all said, they should still be seeking bullpen upgrades that have a chance to members of next years team. I am not sure they have more than a few bullpen members worthy of being on a winning team.
Tonight game Astro 11 Nats 12 was a classic case of almost snatching defeat from the jaws of victory because Cole Henry consistently breaks down after securing 2 outs. Blake should have brought Berger once Henry secured 2outs instead he leave Henry in to serve up a 3-run dinger. Beetle thankfully stepped up and squelched the rally.
The problem the Nats face and forced the BP roulette we see every game is the reality is there are not any available quality relievers and at the trade deadline even if the Nats are still in or close they likely will be bridesmaids in any quality reliever auctions.
Would like to understand what is happening with him when he has two strikes. That is what sunk him and the team today and against the Giants. Not walking batters like many others in the bullpen- just not able to get an out with two strikes. He should have been pulled earlier, it was clear he could not finish.
Maybe I am impatient, but Cornelio and Lawrence don’t look like they have “it” under the pressure of MLB competition. Yean, would like to see more of, he had presence and results.
More likely, you’ve seen enough baseball to know when certain players are in over their heads. I don’t blame them as much as I blame the situation they’re being put in.
Lawrence is a waiver-wire pickup whose ERA was over 8 when they picked him up. Maybe you ease him back into games and try to build some confidence, but putting him straight into pressure spots is throwing him to the wolves
I don’t think it’s the yips. I think it’s more likely he’s being beaten like a rented mule. Lord is repeatedly being put in spots where he has to win the game for them.
And to his credit, Lord is blaming himself. That’s what good players usually do. But that doesn’t mean the team is putting him in a fair position, especially asking him to cover multiple innings on a hot, humid day in a high leverage situation with the score tied.
Butera is in a tough spot, too. He brings Lord into a tied game in the 7th knowing he probably needs at least two innings, and maybe hoping for three. By his own admission, he could see Lord was running on fumes, but he left him in because he wanted to win and didn’t trust the rest of his bullpen.
At some point, this becomes a roster construction problem.
He doesn't have swing and miss stuff so a lot of balls get fouled off on 2 strike counts and then eventually they get a hit . Ferrer had swing and miss stuff as I recall but that's water under the bridge
For those wondering why Yean is getting sent down, he pitched on Thursday and Friday making it three appearances in four says. After pitching two innings today, he's likely down for two days at a time when they need arms to cover innings with the suspensions looming and Brad Lord being used today.
I know Butera likes to call Cade the staff ace, but I would argue that title should go to Griffin.
Cade is toolsy, and has a higher ceiling. But the problem is you don’t know what you’ll get from game to game. You’ll either get an 8-inning gem, or he’ll throw 80 pitches in three innings and stress the bullpen. There’s no in-between. An ace can’t have that much variability from start to start. Incredibly frustrating.
The bullpen situation is getting silly
Well, the Nats Pen is not good and they are trying to improve it. That is not at all easy. We need patience:))
Adding someone with an ERA of (checks BBREF) 17.18 is improving it?
I really, *really* wish someone would ask Toboni WTF he is thinking with this one.
(I'm referring to this guy Krook they picked up who'd been cut by the Athletics and whose presence is the reason for Yean's going back to Rochester.)
Well there are lots of cases where some other team's trash ended up being a benefit to another team. Relievers are finicky. We picked up Rodney with a 9+ ERA off waivers in 2019 and he ended up pitching 33 mostly solid innings for us.
Also, even though its been reported in some media outlets, As of today its still not registered on the Major League Transactions log so he may not have been optioned. Only Zak Kent's option is officially listed.
Trevor Williams should be back shortly after the ASB. He has been moved up to AA for his next rehab assignment. While some people say to heck with that, he pitched at nearly an all star level in 2024 and will likely be an improvement over other options. It gives Butera another option to use over Lord in long relief.
They've picked up 4 relievers off waivers in the last two weeks that they are trying out at AAA to see if they can help. Improving a BP mid season is often times an exercise in trial and error.
Not sure what you mean about not being optioned. Nationals Communications announced that he had been claimed off outright waivers. He can't be sent to AAA either.
https://x.com/nationalscomms/status/2073493595797979505?s=46&t=3k7GcWtYd6UmwMTK6mfZJw
Also, 9+ ain't 17.
So. That doesn't say they optioned Yean to AAA.
Oh, I see. I thought you were talking about Krook.
Now its official. Yean optioned down today and Cole Henry has been recalled.
Bad move
I hear you. Patience. But . . . there are 29 other teams with better bullpens.
How many more times will Butera play the infield in? Backfired every time.
A real shame of this loss is that it obscures both a gritty comeback to tie it after being down 4-0 and a VERY heady bit of baserunning by James to score the tying run on a blooper to short (Griffen showing part 1 of why greatness is predicted for him; part 2 on display with the go ahead two run single in the 7th)
And the irony is that was two years in a row where Pittsburg picked one spot ahead of us and got the player we supposedly most coveted.
I’m just glad that series is over with man. Konnor Griffin is a pest.
Amen!
I’m willing to see what comes
Lightheadedness is a symptom of dehydration and also fatigue - being on “regular rest” assumes you are sleeping through the night. If Cavalli was telling the truth about being upset, he was not sleeping well, and it caught up with him
That's a good point. Probably a combination of both.
Also rather odd that a fellow who grew up pitching in Oklahoma was so affected by the heat. The “wasn’t sleeping well” explanation makes sense to me….
It's a different type of heat, to be fair.
Where he is from in Tulsa, peak summertime temps are lower than they are here and its much less humid and a bit more breezy.
So Yean goes back to Rochester after 2 lights-out innings of relief. Because Krook will be demonstrably better? They know that already? Sometimes it looks like the Nats punish success.
Iwould have kept him with the Nats! He pitched well.
I am pretty sure he will be back
I agree. But this Krook guy is currently pitching to an ERA of 17.16. From the outside, the Nats' pitching process looks willy-nilly. I have a hard time imagining a scenario where he will help the Nats short or long term.
We need to be patient, the Nats are doing their due diligence.
Yeah, I don't get it
Make it make sense…
Still cooling my heels (so to speak) down here in the Outer Banks and trying to catch up.
Sorry to see the Buccos take the series. I'll read the boxscores later but looks like another bullpen blow up. And just saw the news on Hassell. That was in the cards I'd say. He'll undoubtedly get snagged by somebody.
Let's go get the 'Stros. Go Nats!
Seems to me that they are auditioning pitchers.
It’s kind of like the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. 😎
Ha! Great image!
If this bullpen keeps bursting into flames, and I don’t mean just giving up a run or two, it is going to affect the morale of the team. It already seems to be affecting Butera’s decisions.
Right now, they have a dime holding up a dollar. The rest of this team is competitive. Could other areas be improved? Sure, but that’s true of almost every team outside of maybe the Dodgers or Braves, and even their fans would probably tell you they still have problems.
The Nationals have tried the waiver wire and minor league arms, and some of those pitchers may eventually turn into something. But learning how to pitch in the big leagues while your team is trying to stay in Wild Card contention is rarely done for a reason.
They need to make a decision now. Either go get another lefty and a real closer, or admit this is a development year. But don’t keep abusing certain arms because you’re halfway trying to compete and halfway trying to develop.
Middle relievers already have some of the shortest careers in baseball. Don’t turn a useful young arm into an innings eater just because the rest of the bullpen is gasoline.
I like what you're saying. Decide on what you want to do this season--compete or develop?--then proceed accordingly.
While I agree with your assessment and analysis of the BS pen, I am not convinced the front office is committed to a wildcard run. If they were then you would expect them to invest in some quality relief pitchers. I think the front office is facing a conundrum that they were not expecting…an unexpectedly competitive team. I don’t think they anticipated nor planned for this contingency and thus they are scrambling to cycle whatever they between ROC and South Capitol St.
I agree. I don’t think they expected to be in this position, and now they’re stuck halfway between competing and evaluating.
If the roster wasn’t built for this, then make a decision. Either add real bullpen help, or treat it like a development year. I’ll live with either decision, but don’t pretend you’re doing both, and don’t destroy the few good young arms you have in the process.
At that point, winning every game stops being the most important thing, and developing certain pitchers becomes the priority. Stop cycling through waiver-wire arms unless you think they’re part of the long-term plan.
They’ve already gone through more than 20 bullpen arms this year, not even counting position players. That’s not a stable plan for a team trying to win; that’s an audition line. And I don’t think it’s fair to Butera, either. He’s being asked to manage a bullpen that wasn’t really built for the situation the team is now in.
Cannot argue with you when you are right. I also think that ownership has a strict not to exceed budget under any circumstances… hence waiver wire dumpster diving and pitcher roulette between ROC and South Capitol St.
You think Taboni would have accepted this job with such noncompetitive financial limitations? I don't, and I think this is just a group of players exceeding expectations and Taboni and company have been caught off guard and are not prepared to make the changes needed to go for it
Dave—I really don’t know Paul Taboni…so I cannot speak to what conversations or motivations drove his decision to accept the job. Do I think he andhis staff were caught off guard…absolutely yes. Everyone speculated before and through ST this team was a 65 win team. No one was contemplating this team would be in the wild card discussion. The mere fact that they have not spent money nor made significant trades to fix the bull pen etcis pretty indicative that there is no budget. Do I think there “a” plan…yes but this generation of Lerners do not appear to be interested in spending money betting on the come. Moreover, I dare say they are probably pretty concerned that the new CBA will contain a Payroll “floor” that will force them to spend to be more competitive.
Payroll floor for ownership would be a nightmare.
Feels like the wildcard chance is slipping away with losses to teams such as Marlins and Pirates, not to mention so many blown leads. That all said, they should still be seeking bullpen upgrades that have a chance to members of next years team. I am not sure they have more than a few bullpen members worthy of being on a winning team.
Nailed it.
Nailed it.
Tonight game Astro 11 Nats 12 was a classic case of almost snatching defeat from the jaws of victory because Cole Henry consistently breaks down after securing 2 outs. Blake should have brought Berger once Henry secured 2outs instead he leave Henry in to serve up a 3-run dinger. Beetle thankfully stepped up and squelched the rally.
The problem the Nats face and forced the BP roulette we see every game is the reality is there are not any available quality relievers and at the trade deadline even if the Nats are still in or close they likely will be bridesmaids in any quality reliever auctions.
The heat was rough, but I’m wondering if Brad Lord is starting to wear down.
Would like to understand what is happening with him when he has two strikes. That is what sunk him and the team today and against the Giants. Not walking batters like many others in the bullpen- just not able to get an out with two strikes. He should have been pulled earlier, it was clear he could not finish.
Maybe I am impatient, but Cornelio and Lawrence don’t look like they have “it” under the pressure of MLB competition. Yean, would like to see more of, he had presence and results.
More likely, you’ve seen enough baseball to know when certain players are in over their heads. I don’t blame them as much as I blame the situation they’re being put in.
Lawrence is a waiver-wire pickup whose ERA was over 8 when they picked him up. Maybe you ease him back into games and try to build some confidence, but putting him straight into pressure spots is throwing him to the wolves
Is it just me, or does Lord have the yips? Not being able to get strike three is weird.
I don’t think it’s the yips. I think it’s more likely he’s being beaten like a rented mule. Lord is repeatedly being put in spots where he has to win the game for them.
And to his credit, Lord is blaming himself. That’s what good players usually do. But that doesn’t mean the team is putting him in a fair position, especially asking him to cover multiple innings on a hot, humid day in a high leverage situation with the score tied.
Butera is in a tough spot, too. He brings Lord into a tied game in the 7th knowing he probably needs at least two innings, and maybe hoping for three. By his own admission, he could see Lord was running on fumes, but he left him in because he wanted to win and didn’t trust the rest of his bullpen.
At some point, this becomes a roster construction problem.
He doesn't have swing and miss stuff so a lot of balls get fouled off on 2 strike counts and then eventually they get a hit . Ferrer had swing and miss stuff as I recall but that's water under the bridge
Ribalta should have been summoned to throw a 14th pitch, and we may have ended up with a curly W.
For those wondering why Yean is getting sent down, he pitched on Thursday and Friday making it three appearances in four says. After pitching two innings today, he's likely down for two days at a time when they need arms to cover innings with the suspensions looming and Brad Lord being used today.
I know Butera likes to call Cade the staff ace, but I would argue that title should go to Griffin.
Cade is toolsy, and has a higher ceiling. But the problem is you don’t know what you’ll get from game to game. You’ll either get an 8-inning gem, or he’ll throw 80 pitches in three innings and stress the bullpen. There’s no in-between. An ace can’t have that much variability from start to start. Incredibly frustrating.