5 offseason moves to help the Nationals repeat as champions

HOUSTON, TEXAS - OCTOBER 30: The Washington Nationals pose for a team photo as they celebrate after defeating the Houston Astros in Game Seven to win the 2019 World Series at Minute Maid Park on October 30, 2019 in Houston, Texas. The Washington Nationals defeated the Houston Astros with a score of 6 to 2. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) /

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CLEVELAND, OHIO – JULY 09: Will Smith #13 of the San Francisco Giants participates in the 2019 MLB All-Star Game at Progressive Field on July 09, 2019 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /

2. Sign Will Smith

The Nationals need a complete overhaul of their bullpen this winter, and they can’t afford to just retain Sean Doolittle and Daniel Hudson and call it a day. The trade market is an obvious place to find relief help, but Washington should also be thinking of hitting free agency for another bullpen upgrade. It’s not that the Nats haven’t tried to sign free-agent relievers; they just haven’t been very good at picking which middle relievers will carry their previous year’s success over to the next. To be fair, most teams haven’t figured that out.

Instead of picking through the sixth- and seventh-inning guys on the market, the Nationals should get serious and sign another closer. Aroldis Chapman is likely out of reach, as he will look to match his current $17.2-million annual salary if he opts out of his deal with the New York Yankees. San Francisco Giants All-Star Will Smith is the next-best option on the market this offseason.

There are a few other free agents with some experience closing games, but Smith is the best of the bunch. The 30-year-old left-hander saved 34 games for the Giants last season with a 2.76 ERA and struck out 13.2 per nine. Since missing the entire 2017 season with Tommy John, he has a 2.66 ERA in 118.1 innings and has struck out 167 with only 36 walks issued and 13 home runs allowed.

Reliever salaries are trending back down after a brief pop, and Smith doesn’t have enough closing experience to warrant a contract approaching $50 million. The Nats may be able to get him for closer to $10 million a year, which would be a steal. Adding two quality relievers with ninth-inning experience is what it’s going to take to give the Nationals a fully functioning bullpen next year.

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