Nationals get stronger with addition of Soriano
The Washington Nationals were already the team to beat in the National League East and Tuesday they made it even more unlikely that somebody will beat them.
Nationals get stronger with addition of Soriano
Bob Brookover, Inquirer Baseball Columnist
The Washington Nationals were already the team to beat in the National League East and Tuesday they made it even more unlikely that somebody will beat them.
According to Yahoo.com's Jeff Passan, the Nationals have teamed up with their favorite agent, Scott Boras, and struck a two-year, $28 million deal for arguably the premier reliever on this year's free-agent market.
Rafael Soriano, 33, spent the last two seasons with the New York Yankees and posted a 2.94 ERA in 111 games. He served as Mariano Rivera's setup man in 2011, but when the future Hall of Fame closer went down early last season, Soriano stepped in as New York's closer.
His performance was Rivera-esque as he went 2-1 with a 2.26 ERA while converting 42 of 46 save opportunities.
Soriano's addition to the Nationals makes a strength even stronger. A year ago, the Nationals' bullpen ERA was 3.23, which was the seventh best in baseball and the third best in the National League.
That is a nice complement to a starting rotation that had a 3.40 ERA and a major-league leading 72 victories. Only Tampa Bay's starters had a better earned run average among baseball's 30 teams last season.
The Phillies felt they significantly upgraded their bullpen by adding free agent Mike Adams, who is considered one of the best setup men in baseball. They signed Adams to a two-year deal worth $12 million.
Relying on a cast of young relievers to get the ball to closer Jonathan Papelbon, the Phillies' bullpen had a 3.94 ERA last season, which ranked 21st in baseball and 10th in the National League.
The addition of Soriano gives the Nationals the luxury of three quality pitchers with closer experience. Tyler Clippard served as the team's primary closer last season and had 32 saves in 37 opportunties. The year before, Drew Storen had 43 saves in 48 opportunities and posted a 2.75 ERA.
It will be interesting to see who manager Davey Johnson selects to be his primary closer in 2013, but it's obviously a nice problem to have and another reason the Nationals will be difficult to dethrone as N.L. East champs.
Comments (75)
Warbum, what is a "nonclutch" save?— 2smart4philly- I say we still play 162 games.How much talent did the Angels and Rangers have last year ? Was it that long ago when the World Series was given to the Phillies before a game was played ?— youwish
- Again, we'll see. When a team desperately fills each opening with the latest star-du-jour (that's French, biscuitboy/Copper 34; it means 'star of the day'), it rarely ends well. Like the 2012 Marlins, Angels and Dodgers. Like the Mets before that. Like the Orioles of a decade ago. And on and on.
You assemble a group of overpaid individuals from different teams and backgrounds, put a lame-duck/last-year 70-year-old manager in charge and -- that's an automatic World Series? Uh, no. When was the last time an All-Star Free Agent team won the Series? Reggie Jackson and Billy Martin with the Yankees, maybe? It's been a while.
Baseball is a team sport and chemistry over a grueling, 7-month schedule (including spring training) matters. I didn't see much chemistry when the Nats collapsed in front of the Cardinals last year. I saw a lot of: "Can I get the first cab to the airport?" instead.
— eman - eman: "I mean, Amaro is Hispanic and we know from what he's written how warbiscuit feels about that"... "I want to see where warbiscuit (aka Copper 34) and the others wind up. Plus, it would be a hoot if we took a wild card playoff spot this year, to see those guys justify their hatred."
1. yes, I'm opposed to incompetent g.m.'s from running teams into the ground even if their last name ends in a vowel...meanwhile, it takes a genuine racist and someone devoid of any intelligence or integrity whatsoever to inject race into any argument and look at an athlete or coach's race when discussing their competence
2. no, I'm not copper -- although I agreed with much (not all) of what he posted about Rube and hope he continues -- but it takes a genuine fruitcake to repeatedly insist that someone else is a closet-schizophrenic posing and responding to himself --all apparently just to get under the skin of some anonymous posters on a website...
3. my "hatred" is reserved for sanctimonious fools like you who, incapable of making any intelligent points, engage in race-baiting and pseudo-psychobabble and reveal only their own deep-seeded racial and psychological issues..
i'm fairly certain that you've never had a single intelligent baseball-related comment and spend your time attacking posters instead of bringing anythign to the table— warbiscuit - I've been calling you a dopey moronic tool for years, looks like I was just a man ahead of my time. — DogBiscuitthedope
- Nice to see your return doppelganger biscuit, and there is only praise in that term. If you have read my posts yesterday and today, you have seen I've taken up the mantle in exposing doggie bone for the mental case he is. His 10 retorts to any post, show a manic pattern, paranoid, obsessive......I could go on and on. It is just I enjoy baseball, a vibrant board whether or not I agree with an opinion or not, the dialogue is what is important.
zubzub picked up on my lead yesterday, providing the key to this picture. If you want to be a one note poster, blame Amaro, doesn't any logic dictate you also ask, WHO HIRED FOR HIM FOR THE JOB, AND KEEPS HIM IN IT, AND WHY?
I'm sorry, but my day job is all about logic, and the stunning lack of critical thinking and knee jerk reaction here, leaves me scratching my head.
The Phillies will be in the mix, that is assured. They have enough in their starters, Strasburg is still a question mark, and the Cardinals , like the Phils, show that HEART still has a place in the game.
One last wardoggie comment. It is my day job to get people to expose THEMSELVES. It is an Art, to push here, prod there. Aside from the baseball you do know, you are a sockpuppet manipulator of the boards, and I can't abide trolls, no matter what side they choose. Pick a username, and stick with it. I don't claim any victory in exposing your mania, it saddens me. But you have savaged enough other posters, that your past indiscretions have come home to roost. Try, just try, to be a TEAM player, not that you have to agree with others, just without the venom and name-calling.
I am a Flyers fan too, and look forward to Saturday. As I would always say on that board in closing, updated for the Phillies, my co number one Philly team, GO PHILS!! - I'm amazed that so many people have already written off this team. Spending a fortune didn't help the Dodgers and spending very little didn't hurt the A's. And the Giants have won twice in three years with few superstars. The Phils may crash and burn but let's see how it plays out and let's see what the roster looks like by opening day. Winning teams are built on the sum of the parts and not all the parts have to be superstars. I laugh when people even rip the inconsequential signings (fillers for the minors or longshots). Someone said "the Giants sign Vogelsong and we sign (name anyone signed to a minor league deal)". Vogelsong came to camp with SF as a non-roster invitee. No one in SF even noticed he was signed...until he started pitching well. So the Nats signed Soriano. RAJ would be ripped on this site if he paid that much for him as he would have been if he had overpaid for Upton or Bourn. Having lived through losing teams for decades I can appreciate two WS titles and the success this team has had in recent years. This "win it all or everyone sucks" attitude is sad to see. Everyone should just try to enjoy the game again for once. (Oh, and let's all pray for warbiscuit too. He's got some severe emotional problems to overcome.)— inky93
- Ryan Howard is 2 for 6 with 2 homers off Soriano. not worried about fastball pitchers. phils can hit fastballs.
- Will the ballgirls win the division or world series. I think not DOPES.— tobyjoe
- Inky93...The Giants have a real manager and G M that makea a difference.We have holes at those positions.— tobyjoe
- I agree with Warbiscuit DUMB RUBE has turned this team into OLD OLD losers.I often wonder what the fanbase is looking at.We had a good team then we become a low tier team.What did Rube do?We have that answwer ...NOTHING GOOD.— tobyjoe
- Apparently 1980 has lost his mind. But we know that from earlier posts as he trolls to 'take out' other posters.
Have the boards all to yourselves 1980, War, DogBisciut, Copper, et al - common sense people on this board and others cannot get a word in edgewise, nor agree, or agree to disagree with any of you without being attacked 'ad hominem' by any of you. A dialogue involves mor than one - a monologue is what you desire.
Personally fed up with being called names - moron, tool, imbecile, J/O - high school bully tactics by posters that ought to take a deep breath, look into the mirror, and wonder where their miserable lives have gone.
Showing any kind of dissent or reasonable acceptance to another's post is beyond your capabilities as human beings. Oh, I forgot, you aren't human but robo trolls who type 100 words a minute to 'take out' verbally other posters to this board. Time to take stock. This is your own version of a shoot'em up video game.
Some of us care about the teams and what they are doing. Some of us also understand that teams have phases and are not fantasy league paper tigers but have to go on the field to actually play the game. Your game: take out the poster' is what satisfies your yearning for attention. 'Bloviating'? The troll poster that accuses me of that has at least 10 posts on this article alone none of which comments on baseball - 1980. You are what you attempt to call everyone else out to be. Look in the mirror.
I, for one, choose to sign off from this addictive, and useless behavior.
— 24sDad - The word of the day? DISINGENUOUS
Baseball is a game of infinite statistics.
Copper was "mysteriously" missing yesterday. That may or may not be related to the fact I publicly named him a sock puppet id of doggie bone, which began my experience of the manic barrage to drown out the voices in his head.
So the statistics? Doggie & 24 dad teamed to 21 posts against a few ( 10 in quantity, almost nil in total words BY 1980. Not an assessment of content, HIS FEW said more than the aforementioned pair, but sparse in responses made )
21-10 hardly seems to fit the argument, you and doggie can't get a word in edgewise. Doggie has Tourette's of the keyboard.
As to the funniest moment ever, in a world of defenses, including O.J.'s "he is innocent", is that you and doggie aren't again proof that sock puppet crazy doggie are both on the same leash. Your pic, his name, explained simply as a "cyber glitch", posting at the exact same millisecond, though that has never happened in the history of the board....EVER... AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
PS When you Atlanta Brave troll Tobyjoe on your side, its a bad thing... - Hey phillfan boy...The man is right. When you grow up we can talk atlanta braves.— tobyjoe
About this blog
The Phillies Zone is the place for up-to-the-minute Phillies coverage from the Inquirer.
Matt Gelb
Inquirer Staff Writer
Bob Brookover
Inquirer Baseball Columnist
Search this blog:
Classifieds:
Site Services:
Partners:
Powered By:
