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While manager Davey Martinez was praising the work that Washington’s bullpen did in the 5-2 win over the Cincinnati Reds on Saturday afternoon, Nationals’ GM Mike Rizzo was out there searching for any and everyone he can find to try to help the Nats’ relief corps.
According to reports by both Craig Mish and Washington Post writer Jesse Dougherty on Saturday night, the latest addition to the organization is 42-year-old reliever Fernando Rodney, who is said to have signed a minor league deal with the Nationals after he was released by the Oakland Athletics on May 28th.
Rodney put up a 9.42 ERA, 5.52 FIP, 12 walks, and 14 Ks in 14 1⁄3 IP for the A’s before he was released, after putting up a combined 3.36 ERA, a 4.03 FIP, 32 walks, and 70 Ks in 64 1⁄3 IP for the Minnesota Twins and the Athletics in 2018.
The latest signing comes after the Nationals added veteran relievers George Kontos and Jonny Venters on minor league deals recently.
Nationals homer their way to 5-2 win over Reds in GABP:
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LINK: Nationals win, 5-2, set up rubber match with Reds
As Rizzo told 106.7 the FAN in D.C.’s Sports Junkies recently, he’s doing whatever he can to try to find help for the bullpen.
“We went and reached for Tanner Rainey who’s shown that he has major league stuff and is kind of a reliable guy who can throw it over the plate,” Rizzo said.
“We think that he’ll help us, we went out and got Javy Guerra who’s a proven veteran relief pitcher who you trust is going to throw strikes and give you a chance to win and that type of thing.
“We’re looking for all avenues to improve ourselves bullpen-wise,” he added.
Will Rizzo and Co. find any reliable relief help this way? Or will the relievers they assembled start to turn things around and make these long shot signings unnecessary?