Report: Nats sign Casey Janssen to help back-end of bullpen
After spending big to net the biggest free agent on the market this offseason — you know, that Max Scherzer guy — the Washington Nationals made a savvy move to address the other end of their pitching staff.
They’ve reportedly signed ex-Toronto Blue Jays closer Casey Janssen to a one-year deal, a move they hope will strengthen their bullpen and add some insurance should closer Drew Storen meltdown.
Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports was first to report Janssen’s deal with the Nats. Barry Svrluga at The Washington Post writes Janssen is guaranteed $5 million — a $3.5 million base salary for 2015 plus a $1.5 buyout for 2016. Or the Nats could keep Janssen for 2016 and pay him $7 million.
Janssen spent three seasons as Toronto’s closer, converting on 81 of 91 save opportunities. He was effective, but not exactly lights out. Still, his 2.94 ERA over those three seasons was admirable and consistent, considering the up-and-down lives of MLB closers.
In Washington, though, he figures to be a setup man. The Nats traded Tyler Clippard to the Oakland Athletics recently, so Janssen should slide into his role. Storen finished 2014 as the Nats’ closer — a role he thrived in during the 2011 season — but he’s not a sure thing. An advantage of signing Janssen is having someone else with closer experience in case things go awry.
The Nats’ offseason will be marked by excess, since they signed Scherzer for $210 million, but they were able to save a little bit of money here. They got Yunel Escobar, who will fill a hole at second base, in return for Clippard. Now they’ve signed Janssen to replace Clippard, who was going to make about $9 million this season in arbitration.
When you’re dishing out $15 million annually for 14 years to Scherzer, you take the savings where you can, right?
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Mike Oz is an editor for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @MikeOz
