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Pittsburgh Pirates: Four Potential Richard Rodriguez Trade Destinations

By Noah Wright

MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - AUGUST 30: Richard Rodriguez #42 of the Pittsburgh Pirates pitches in the ninth inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park on August 30, 2020 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. All players are wearing #42 in honor of Jackie Robinson Day, which was postponed April 15 due to the coronavirus outbreak. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - AUGUST 30: Richard Rodriguez #42 of the Pittsburgh Pirates pitches in the ninth inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park on August 30, 2020 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. All players are wearing #42 in honor of Jackie Robinson Day, which was postponed April 15 due to the coronavirus outbreak. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) /
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Sep 27, 2020; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Nationals players celebrate after their game against the New York Mets at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 27, 2020; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Nationals players celebrate after their game against the New York Mets at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports /

Washington Nationals

The Nationals seem to always be a team that needs bullpen help. Next year, the Nats will have a strong rotation headed by three aces, that being veterans Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg and Patrick Corbin. While a strong rotation has been something the Nats have never had a problem with, it’s been the bullpen that’s constantly been lacking.

The Nations’ Capital’s bullpen had a 4.68 ERA, 4.79 FIP and 1.50 WHIP. Overall, they had an fWAR of just .5. All of these stats were in the bottom 10 of baseball. Many of their arms that they were going to heavily rely on struggled.

Daniel Hudson, the man who closed out Game 7 of the 2019 World Series, had a 6.10 ERA and 6.29 FIP. Their closer, Sean Doolittle had pitched just 7.2 innings, but struggled surrendering nine hits, three home runs and 5 earned runs. He will be a free agent going into this off season. Kyle Finnegan, Wander Suero, Will Harris and Tanner Rainey had solid seasons, but they lacked a true shutdown guy.

Next. Examining Phillip Evans 2020 Season. dark

If the Nationals want to head back to the postseason, they need a good bullpen. They have built up a good hitting core, and have a strong rotation, but need some bullpen help. They’ve really struggled to put together a reliable bullpen since 2014 to 2016 when they had Drew Storen, Tyler Clippard, Mark Melancon, Jonathan Papelbon, Blake Treinen, and Shawn Kelley.

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