Washington Nationals: Pull the plug on Trevor Rosenthal

Trevor Rosenthal was supposed to be a key part of the Washington Nationals bullpen. Instead, they need to bite the bullet and pull the plug.

As the Washington Nationals were looking to fortify the bullpen, Trevor Rosenthal was a worthwhile gamble. Although he had missed the entire 2018 campaign due to Tommy Joh surgery, Rosenthal had a track record of being a solid reliever. He was an All Star closer in 2015, and had two seasons with 45 or more saves.

Then the season started, and Rosenthal was a disaster. He did not record a single out in his first three outings, and dating back to his final appearance in 2017, had four consecutive outings where each baserunner came around to score. Eventually, he recorded six outs in his seven appearances before being placed on the Injured List, allowing 12 runs on seven hits and nine walks while uncorking five wild pitches and hitting three batters.

Currently on a rehab stint with the Harrisburg Senators, Rosenthal seemed to have gotten his command back. That is, until Friday, when those issues again reared their head.

Overall, Rosenthal has pitched relatively well in AA, based on the stats. He has a 2.70 ERA and four strikeouts in his 3.1 innings of work. However, he also has three walks. While neither of those errant pitches counted as a wild pitch in the ol’ stat line, they certainly do not instill confidence that Rosenthal is cured.

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That is the biggest problem. While the Nationals had to know there would be some occasional issues as Rosenthal worked his way back from Tommy Joh, this is beyond what anyone could have imagined. It is even fair to wonder if Rosenthal will bounce back.

For the Nationals, who are in win now mode, they do not have the time to see if Rosenthal can contribute to a disastrous bullpen. And yet, as much as the Nationals do need to find someone capable of recording outs aside from Sean Doolittle and Eric Fedde, they cannot trust Rosenthal to be a reliable option, especially given his continued bouts of wildness.

As manager Dave Martinez said – this is the bullpen that the Nationals have. Rosenthal, if he is right, can be a major upgrade. However, he has not done anything to lead Washington to think that will be the case. Since they are fighting to remain relevant in the playoff picture, this is not the time to be hoping for the best case scenario and ignoring the reality before them.

Trevor Rosenthal was supposed to be a key part of the Washington Nationals bullpen. Instead, it is time to pull the plug and accept that he will not be the piece they had hoped for.