Even after acquiring veteran relievers Sean Doolittle and Ryan Madson from the Oakland Athletics over the weekend, the first-place Washington Nationals remain in the market for a top-end closer.
madson &/or doolittle could close for nats. but word is they're still weighing trading for closer. options: britton, d-rob, wilson, etc.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) July 18, 2017
In a way, this shouldn’t be considered too surprising. In addition to moving reliever Blake Treinen in the aforementioned trade with Oakland, the Nationals currently have Shawn Kelley and Koda Glover on the disabled list.
Of the players Heyman mentioned, Zach Britton of the Baltimore Orioles might make the most sense. He’s pitching to a 1.93 ERA in nine games after returning from injury. Last season also saw Britton post a 0.54 ERA and 0.84 WHIP en route to closing out 47 games for the Orioles.
Considering Washington did not yield any of its top-10 prospects to bring in the combination of Doolittle and Madson, the team has the purchasing power here. And while both of these new-found relievers have closing experience, someone of Britton’s ilk would be a major upgrade for the World Series contenders.