Nats Playoff Chances Definitely Got Better With Deadline Frenzy

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Not only have they absolutely transformed their play since mid-May, improving from 19–31 to 57–51, but now the Washington Nationals have also transformed their roster. On Wednesday, just hours before the clock ticked off for good on the 2019 MLB trade deadline, there was a flurry of moves announced, all of which included the Nats.

And, as expected, the Nats built up their bullpen, making moves to acquire three separate relievers from two different teams at the deadline. Combined with Fernando Rodney, a 43-year-old they took a flier on when things were really bad with the bullpen, the group now looks completely different from the beginning of the year, when they were the worst unit in baseball.

Joining Rodney, and Sean Doolittle, the one bullpen arm they’ve been able to rely on all season, will be Daniel Hudson, who came over via Toronto, Hunter Strickland, and Roenis Elias, both via Seattle.

All three new Nationals bullpen arms have impressive marks on their resumes:

  • Hudson was once a top-line starter, going 24–14 with a 3.18 ERA in 47 starts between 2010–11. He still has the ability to go long, though he’s primarily been a bullpen guy since 2014. This year, he made 45 appearances with Toronto, posting a 6–3 record and 3.00 ERA.
  • A longtime MLB reliever, Hunter Strickland just came back from the IL, doing so with a scoreless inning of work on July 28th — his only appearance since March. Last year, he saved 14 games with the San Francisco Giants, and was also a part of their 2014 World Series team.
  • Elias has probably had the best year so far of the three. He’s appeared in 44 games this year for Seattle, notching 14 saves and four wins.

Moving forward, Washington is 6.5 games back of the NL East lead, but they are tied for the final NL Wild Card spot with rival Philadelphia. It will be interesting to see if they can capitalize on their moves. One thing is certain, though, they’re in much better shape today than they were before the deadline.

The Nationals have a day off on Thursday before starting a brand new series with Arizona on Friday. You can find odds here for each game of the series, and for every series, right up to the end of the season.