Washington Nationals rumors: Neal Cotts a trade target?
By Hayden Kane
As an effective left-handed relief pitcher, Neal Cotts of the Texas Rangers is a player of interest to a number of teams as the final months of the MLB season start to heat up.
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That was true as other teams pursued Cotts at the trade deadline. Once the Rangers decided to keep him, they have looked into signing him to an extension to keep him from hitting free agency this winter. And now, with at least the possibility of an August waiver trade, the Washington Nationals are interested in Cotts.
According to Bill Ladson of MLB.com, the Nationals would like to acquire Cotts to bolster their bullpen:
"Although the non-waiver trade deadline has past, the Nationals are still looking to improve their bullpen. According to a baseball source, the Nationals have interest in Rangers left-hander Neal Cotts. But, so far, the Rangers don’t like what teams have been offering for Cotts."
In 52 appearances this season, Cotts has a 3.38 ERA. Those games span 48 innings of work in which he has allowed three home runs, issued 18 walks and struck hitters out at a 9.8 K/9 clip.
The Rangers do not necessarily use Cotts as a left-handed specialist, so it would be interesting to see how a contending team like the Nationals would view him. Cotts is acutally giving up a higher batting average to lefties this season (.265) than to right-handed hitters (.246).
Versatile and effective, Cotts could help a number of teams. And from his perspective, it probably just feels good to feel wanted, right?