Next week’s trading deadline could result in a decidedly different look to the Nationals’ bullpen. Closer Chad Cordero is a target of several teams looking to bolster their relief corps and set-up man Jon Rauch isn’t too far behind.
Cordero, at 25, already has 110 big-league saves. He can’t be a free agent until after the 2009 season, but is arbitration-eligible, and figures to see his annual salary increase to the $5-6 million range pretty quickly. Several AL teams, including the Tigers, Indians and Red Sox, have shown specific interest, with A or AA prospects coming the other way.
Scouts were on hand in Bowie Saturday night to watch Detroit prospect Jair Jurrjens, a thin right-hander from Curacao, pitch for Erie. Jurrjens did not pitch well against the Baysox, but for the season he’s 4-5, 3.81, with 70 strikeouts in about 90 innings, all as a starter. Given Detroit’s track record in developing young pitching, Jurrjens is worth a look.
Like the Tigers, the Indians’ farm system has been extremely productive. If the AL Central comes down to a dogfight between those two, it would benefit Nats’ GM Jim Bowden to play one off the other.
If Cordero is traded, the closer’s job would likely fall to Rauch. When the Chief was on bereavement leave earlier this season, Rauch filled the job adequately. He’s shown he’s capable of being a workhorse, and he’s still just 28 (29 in late September). It can be argued that a second division ball club doesn’t require a dominant closer, though Rauch, at 6-foot-11, cuts an imposing figure on the mound. (One interesting note about Rauch: He’s the tallest player in Washingtonbaseball history — just ahead of the late 6-7 lefty Steve Hamilton, who pitched for the expansion Senators 1962-63. Both men were products of Morehead State University.) There are multiple teams interested in Rauch as well, but the odds of the Nats trading both are pretty slim.
The Nats haven’t been reluctant to shop Cordero, along with Dmitri Young, Ryan Church and Ronnie Belliard. Church, at 28, would provide some outfield depth and a bat off the bench, but likely wouldn’t bring a lot in return. Young and Belliard were both signed with intent of trading both men to contenders in July. However, both players have overachieved to the point that letting them go for minor league fodder at this point would be a bitter pill to swallow for many fans. And the contract extension Belliard agreed to Monday makes him not likely to be dealt. With Cristian Guzman already out for the year, the Nationals’ offense over the final 60 games would be irreparably damaged without those two. There is legitimate interest in Dmitri from several teams, including the Yankees and the Braves, but neither team wants to trade anything particularly attractive.
Nats’ GM Jim Bowden is renowned for overvaluing his players. If he owned a restaurant, he’d charge for water. He refused to part with Alfonso Soriano a year ago because the offers were embarrassingly thin. He’s not going to make a deal simply to be able to say he made one. His deals with the Reds last July and the Diamondbacks in August still show the scale tipping his way. However, if the deadline comes and goes next Tuesday and there’s no change in personnel, you can chalk it up to Jim being Jim.
And that’s been acceptable up to this point.
Hear Phil Wood Saturdays at 10 a.m. on SportsTalk 980 AM and weekly on Comcast SportsNet’s WPL through the World Series.
