Sources say 41-year-old reliever Joe Nathan, twice removed from Tommy John surgery, is planning a comeback. Will any Major League teams bite if/when he’s ready?
Is this a case of being too stubborn to know when the tank is empty? In some instances, it’s really tough to release oneself from a love for the game. Billy Chapel experienced this as he struggled through his final season with the Detroit Tigers in Sam Raimi’s 1999 venture into the world of sports movies. It just so happens, veteran free agent pitcher Joe Nathan spent what should be his final season also in a Tigers uniform.
Nathan was one hell of a reliever for a time in Major League Baseball. He didn’t truly break through until his aged 28 season with the San Francisco Giants. Mostly unknown then, Nathan pitched 79 innings for the Giants, going 12-4 with a 2.96 ERA. That campaign served as a springboard for an opportunity to become a closer with the Minnesota Twins the season afterwards because of a trade prior to the 2004 season.
Earning his first career All-Star appearance, Nathan was lights out for the Twins. He saved 44 games, posting a 1.62 ERA, a 2.16 FIP and a K/9 of 11.1. So recognized were his efforts after the 2004 year, that Nathan finished fourth in Cy Young voting and 12th in AL MVP voting. He was a major reason Minnesota went 92-70 that year, claiming their third AL Central division title in as many years.
The success continued for Joe Nathan in Minnesota. He was no flash in the pan, going 21-10, posting a 1.92 ERA all while saving 202 games for the Twins from 2005-09. The 2010 season brought about adversity. Nathan tried pitching through Spring Training with a UCL tear. Eventually, at 35, he decided an operation was unavoidable and underwent Tommy John surgery, effectively ending his season.
Post Tommy John, Nathan saved 14 games for Minnesota in 2011, but he wasn’t right. His 4.84 ERA and 4.28 FIP were drastically inflated from his career averages and his K/9 rate dropped down to 8.7. Ending his Twins tenure with 260 saves, Nathan remains atop the franchise leaderboard in that category.
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Desperate for bullpen help in 2012, the Texas Rangers took a gamble on Nathan, signing him to a two year deal worth $14.5MM. The third year $9MM option included a $500,000 buyout for the club. The Rangers’ gamble paid off, as Nathan returned true to form. He saved 80 games from 2012 and 2013, posting a combined ERA of 2.09 and earned two All-Star nods in the process.
Despite his success, the Rangers did not pick up the option. They must have had a crystal ball in doing so, because the Detroit Tigers definitely did not. Another team desperate for bullpen depth, in 2014 they offered a then 39-year-old Nathan two years and $20MM. Unlike Texas’ gamble before them, Detroit took a loss. An earlier arthroscopic shoulder surgery in his career coupled with the UCL tear and old age had taken its toll on the veteran right-hander.
Stumbling to a 5-4 record for Detroit in 2014, Nathan pitched 58 innings. His 4.81 ERA actually permitted a long enough leash for him to save 35 games that year in 42 attempts for Detroit. His walks were way up and his strikeouts were way down, though. It necessitated a trade in July when the Tigers acquired Joakim Soria as insurance. The Tigers still won the AL Central, but Nathan was barely used in the postseason, pitching only one inning in the ALDS versus the Orioles.
Throwing only four pitches in his only appearance of 2015, Nathan earned his 377th career save. But it came at a high price, as he re-tore his UCL. A second surgery ensued and now, according to John Heyman as recently as April 6, Nathan is working out at home and planning a comeback.
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At 41, Joe Nathan is coming off three procedures on his throwing arm that put him under the knife. His fastball sat under 92 mph in 2014 and the one game he pitched last season. Though he wants to mount a comeback, Nathan might want to be more realistic about landing a minor league deal in the similar fashion Barry Zito did last season with the A’s. If he hopes to play in the big leagues again, Nathan will truly need to dazzle. Any team interested in his services should proceed with caution.