2019 Bullpen

[Natsinpwc]

MAT dWAR:
2018: -0.1
2017: 1.6
2016: -0.2
2015: 0.6

He's at best a league average defensive player and a below league average offensive player (only one year of positive oWAR in his five year career).  I'm not getting the view that other teams would want Taylor for anything above league minimum.

Good evidence that defensive WAR is flawed. At best.

[UMDNats]

Apparently we're interested in Bud Norris.

[Duke of Earl]

He's at best a league average defensive player

Are we talking about the same Michael A. Taylor?  You know, these defensive stats indicated that Denard Span wasn't very good, and he was a fabulous centerfielder. And I think Taylor is even better than Span.

[imref]

so Rosenthal didn't work out, and now we go for his replacement?

Apparently we're interested in Bud Norris.

[Duke of Earl]

Bud Norris isn't very good.  He's managed to stick around ten years.  He's posted ERAs over 4 in seven of those years. Lifetime WHIP pushing 1.4.   Not what you want in a reliever.

[LoveAngelos]

Last year Miller came on like gangbusters and then started to open the scoring floodgates

[Greg_SRT]

We need less years of Zimmerman.

And years after years Rizzo's cheap bullpen and veteran PTO's have not worked. In fact it probably lost us the chance of a World Series.

We are gonna pay him $20 anyway before next opening day. 2/$10 is a good deal for both club and player

[hotshot]

Bud Norris isn't very good.  He's managed to stick around ten years.  He's posted ERAs over 4 in seven of those years. Lifetime WHIP pushing 1.4.   Not what you want in a reliever.

You could say that about everyone in our current BP except Doolittle.

[imref]

Bud Norris isn't very good.  He's managed to stick around ten years.  He's posted ERAs over 4 in seven of those years. Lifetime WHIP pushing 1.4.   Not what you want in a reliever.

he was ok last year for STL, 3.59 ERA and 20+ saves.  That's better than Rosenthal, but not sure who else I'd replace with him unless they see Ross as a temporary fix and want him back to Fresno to keep starting.

[Elvir Ovcina]

he was ok last year for STL, 3.59 ERA and 20+ saves.  That's better than Rosenthal, but not sure who else I'd replace with him unless they see Ross as a temporary fix and want him back to Fresno to keep starting.

Miller.  He's almost 32, and his career arc suggests that the pitcher from this season and the second half of last season is the real Miller, not the guy who started last season with 8 games of 0.00.   After that, the rest of the season was pretty much in line with his career averages aside from him giving up a ton of homers (which he's continued this season).   Not sure Norris is much better, or even much different, but that's your obvious swap aside from Rosenthal and Ross.

MAT dWAR:
2018: -0.1
2017: 1.6
2016: -0.2
2015: 0.6

He's at best a league average defensive player and a below league average offensive player (only one year of positive oWAR in his five year career).  I'm not getting the view that other teams would want Taylor for anything above league minimum.  He's basically an outfield Danny Espinosa, and maybe slightly worse on defense.

Metrics for outfielders have a long way to go.  These are the same metrics that suggest Eaton was, for one season only, a spectacularly good outfielder.  Everything before or since matches his eye test, which is that he's mediocre and was even before he got hurt. 

[Duke of Earl]

he was ok last year for STL, 3.59 ERA and 20+ saves.

Sure, if you could guarantee we'd get last year's Norris I'd sign him up right now.  But his history says last year was a fluke.

[Slateman]

MAT dWAR:
2018: -0.1
2017: 1.6
2016: -0.2
2015: 0.6

He's at best a league average defensive player and a below league average offensive player (only one year of positive oWAR in his five year career).  I'm not getting the view that other teams would want Taylor for anything above league minimum.  He's basically an outfield Danny Espinosa, and maybe slightly worse on defense.

2018 - 10 DRS (4th in MLB)
2017 - 8 (7th)

Taylor is many things. Funny, energetic, reasonable, civil. But "average league defensive player" is not one of them. He's very, very good and would probably rate amongst the league's best with a full season.

[bluestreak]

If you think MAT is a league average defensive player, you have watched no baseball.

[varoadking]

If you think MAT is a league average defensive player, you have watched no baseball.

He's not always wrong...it just seems like it.

Wait...no, he's always wrong... 

[UMDNats]

Yeah, I don't buy those defensive numbers with regards to Taylor. He is at worst an above-average defensive OF.

[Duke of Earl]

Yeah, I don't buy those defensive numbers with regards to Taylor. He is at worst an above-average defensive OF.

I would say, at worst a great defensive outfielder.  At best, spectacular.

[Natsinpwc]

If you think MAT is a league average defensive player, you have watched no baseball.

That is why the numbers on Harper’s WAR last year were misleading. Not a great defensive player but not as bad as they made him out. For every day players just look at their offensive WAR. The eye test is just as good as any stats for defense.

[Natsinpwc]

So what options do the Nats have for sending Rosenthal to the minors? Or do they have any?  That’s really what he needs as does the team.

[Squab]

So what options do the Nats have for sending Rosenthal to the minors? Or do they have any?  That’s really what he needs as does the team.

making up an injury and then a rehab assignment or a DFA where he then accepts assignment

[Natsinpwc]

making up an injury and then a rehab assignment or a DFA where he then accepts assignment

[varoadking]

That is why the numbers on Harper’s WAR last year were misleading. Not a great defensive player but not as bad as they made him out. For every day players just look at their offensive WAR. The eye test is just as good as any stats for defense.

...and here I thought we were supposed to put all of our faith in these newfangled, made-up statistics?   

[CoryTheFormerExposFan]

Bud is coming.  Not a stud, but he was a respectable closer to the Cardinals last year replacing Rosenthal.  If he's the same guy, that's still very useful to us. 

[Expos]

Bud is coming.  Not a stud, but he was a respectable closer to the Cardinals last year replacing Rosenthal.  If he's the same guy, that's still very useful to us.

Decent last year but more bottom of the barrel scrap heaping by Rizzo.

Next up: Replacements for Miller, Grace, Sipp and Suero. They can all GTFO.

Same garbage every year with Rizzo. Go scrap heaping for the bullpen In the offseason and when they all suck go scrap heaping again. By then it's too late and the pen has lost us too many games.

[skippy1999]

Decent last year but more bottom of the barrel scrap heaping by Rizzo.

Next up: Replacements for Miller, Grace, Sipp and Suero. They can all GTFO.

Same garbage every year with Rizzo. Go scrap heaping for the bullpen In the offseason and when they all suck go scrap heaping again. By then it's too late and the pen has lost us too many games.

Suero is garbage?

[Jeff in Gaithersburg]

He's 34 and has been mediocre to awful in his career. Might as well call him "Band Aid" Norris because that's what he would be, and a flimsy one at that.

This is all the result of Rizzo not properly addressing the pen over the winter year after year, and when the duct tape job starts coming apart early in the season he's handcuffed from being able to do anything about it until July by which time the pen has already cost us a ton of games. Lather, rinse, repeat.