Dusty Baker says Nationals 'need some help' in bullpen, so here are some options

The Nationals watched their bullpen blow another lead Monday night

Monday night, the Washington Nationals lost their fourth straight game and fifth in their last six games, and once again, the bullpen let them down. On Saturday it was closer Koda Glover, who blew a save trying to pitch through back pain. The Nationals went on to lose that game in extra innings.

On Monday, it was Matt Albers who blew the save in the ninth inning. He allowed a go-ahead three-run home run to Tyler Flowers, which turned a 9-8 lead into an 11-10 loss to the Braves (box score). Here's the video:

Despite the four straight losses, the Nationals are still 38-25 overall and have an 8 1/2 game lead in the NL East. The division race isn't over, there's still plenty of time left this season, but Washington has built themselves a nice cushion. But still, the bullpen has been a problem all season and they need to get it fixed.

Following Monday's loss, manager Dusty Baker stated the obvious and told reporters his team needs to get some bullpen help. From Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post:

"There's no answers right now," Baker said. "I would say score more runs, but we scored more runs."

...

"We need some help," he said. "We need some help big time. We've been knowing that all along."

Last season the Nationals swung a trade for Mark Melancon at the trade deadline, and it sure looks as though they will need to go out and get bullpen help this summer. The Nationals may have a big lead in the NL East, but they're thinking about the World Series, and going into the postseason with a suspect relief crew is no way to win a championship.

With all that in mind, here are 12 potential bullpen trade candidates for the Nationals with the non-waiver trade deadline a little less than seven weeks away.

Alex Colome is about to become something the Rays do not like: expensive. He will qualify for arbitration for the first time after this season, and given his career saves total (55 and counting) and the fact he was an All-Star last season, chances are he is looking at payday near $4 million in 2018. Tampa Bay can't afford to pay that much for a one-inning reliever, even one as good as Colome. He'd give the Nationals a power bat-missing bullpen arm who they could keep under control through 2020.

The Astros are running away with the AL West and, at this point, a wild-card spot already looks out of reach for the Athletics. That isn't too surprising though. You won't find many folks who thought they would contend coming into this season. Doolittle, 30, has closer experience, most notably saving 22 games back in 2014. Injuries have been a big issue over the last few seasons, however. Doolittle has missed time with persistent shoulder problems -- he was activated off the disabled list over the weekend, in fact -- and has been limited to only 61 1/3 innings since 2015. It's worth noting Doolittle's contract keeps him under team control through 2020 via club options, so he's not necessarily a rental. 

There are no guarantees in baseball, but gosh, if I had to put money on a reliever most likely to be traded at the deadline, it would be Brad Hand. The Padres are in the middle of a deep rebuild and Hand has been outstanding since the club moved him into a short relief role last season. As an added bonus, Hand will remain under team control as an arbitration-eligible player through the 2019 season, so he's a long-term buy. Expect to hear his name in a ton of trade rumors the next few weeks, both with the Nationals and other clubs.

Do the Royals have a run in them? They are only five games back in the AL Central at the moment, after all. If Kansas City does make a run these next few weeks, odds are Kelvin Herrera won't be available at the trade deadline. If they don't though, and they fade back out of the race, all bets are off. General manager Dayton Moore will have no choice but to consider a fire sale at the deadline. The Nationals have already been connected to Herrera a few times this season, so even with his down year, there's a natural fit.

Brandon Kintzler is very much an unconventional closer given his lack of strikeouts, but the man gets out, and the Nationals desperately need someone who can do that in their bullpen. The Twins are in first place right now, though my guess is the team would not hesitate to move Kintzler if the right deal came along at the deadline. They are still rebuilding, remember. Chances are Kintzler will not be part of the next great Twins team, which makes him trade bait.

As with Doolittle, the A's figure to make veteran righty Ryan Madson available to bullpen needy teams at the deadline. He's been excellent since essentially coming out of retirement with the Royals two years ago. The biggest question is here is whether the Nationals are comfortable taking on Madson's contract. He's owed $7.67M this season and another $7.67M next season, so he's not cheap. Perhaps Oakland would be willing eat money to facilitate a trade? That would presumably require Washington to give up better prospects, however.

This one fits almost too well. The Phillies aren't going anywhere and Pat Neshek is a veteran reliever having an excellent season, and he's due to become a free agent after the season. What reason do they have to keep him? None. Even if the Nationals don't feel comfortable plugging Neshek into their closer's role, he would be an upgrade to their middle relief, and every little upgrade is worth making when you're a World Series hopeful.

Similar to the Rays and Colome, the Marlins don't do expensive closers, and A.J. Ramos is earning $6.55 million this season. With 81 career saves (and counting) and an All-Star Game selection under his belt, Ramos is looking at upwards of $9 million through arbitration next season. I would bet against Miami keeping him at that price. The Marlins are already out of contention, so making Ramos available at the trade deadline only makes sense.

There have been no shortage of Nationals-David Robertson rumors already this year. In fact, the two sides were reportedly close to a deal in spring training. The White Sox have cooled off since their hot start and slipped into last place in the AL Central, which is where many figured they would wind up this season. Robertson is owed a healthy $25 million from 2017-18 and that money was reportedly the hang-up during trade talks this spring. Money shouldn't be a total deal-breaker though. That seems like something the two sides can figure out.

Very quietly, veteran sidewinder Joe Smith is having a career year with the Blue Jays, at least in terms of strikeouts. He's on a cheap one-year, $3 million contract, and if the Blue Jays are unable to dig themselves out of their early season hole, they figure to put him on the trade market to cash in on his sudden surge in strikeouts. As with Neshek, the Nationals would benefit big time from adding Smith even if he's nothing more than a middle reliever or setup man.

Tony Watson had such a tough time closing games this season you'd think he was already a member of the Nationals. In all seriousness, the longtime ace setup man for the Pirates stuggled big time in the ninth inning this year, and he was recently removed from the closer's role. Still, Watson has a strong track record and he's an impending free agent, which means he figures to be available and will generate interest. Being left-handed sure helps too.

Without question, the Tigers would greatly prefer to contend this season and get back to the postseason for the first time since 2014. They are kinda sorta hanging in the race, but have been unable to go on an extended run that puts them firmly in the race. If that continues to be the case, Justin Wilson would make a very interesting trade chip. Detroit has sold before. It wouldn't unprecedented. Just two years they moved Yoenis Cespedes and David Price at the deadline.

---

At the moment the Nationals bullpen has a 5.11 ERA, and it ranks 29th among the 30 teams with minus-0.7 WAR. It is a clear weakness and it will need to be addressed at some point. This isn't simply a case of adding a new closer either. The Nationals could use some middle innings help too, which is where guys like Neshek and Smith fit in. For now, Washington will have to try to get by with what they have in-house until the trade market really begins to develop.