Nats' lack of experienced closer right now doesn't faze Baker

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. - Fans and media may be wondering who will close for the Nationals in 2017. So is manager Dusty Baker, though he didn't sound too concerned Tuesday during his media session at the Winter Meetings.

Speaking in a ballroom at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center, Baker said he was disappointed that the Nationals weren't able to re-sign incumbent Mark Melancon, didn't think the Nats had been in touch with free agent Aroldis Chapman because he's asking for too much money and said he wasn't worried about the possibility of starting next season with an inexperienced closer pitching the ninth inning.

"Well, the winter is not over yet, so you can't be fearful of something that still has a chance to fill that position," Baker said. "So it would be different if we were in ... late January, early February."

Baker had hoped to have Melancon back because he was effective in replacing Jonathan Papelbon and a good clubhouse presence after a July 30 trade from the Pirates. Though the Nationals made what Baker and general manager Mike Rizzo termed a competitive offer, Melancon signed Monday for four years and $62 million with the Giants.

"I got input, but I'm not putting in money and that's what real input is, you know what I mean?" Baker said. "My input was such that we all wanted Melancon, you know, but we don't have the budget or the packed stadium for 800 games in a row like the Giants do. They have more resources than we do. We got a lower budget and everybody has a budget. If we would have spent that on Melancon, we wouldn't have been able to spend anything on anybody else. But you've got to do what you can do inside the budget. If I had really input, I would have probably spent another $200 million. That's like my son that plays his video games and they won't accept his roster because it's like $400 million."

Chapman, who pitched the ninth inning for Baker in 2012 and 2013 when he managed the Reds, and Kenley Jansen, who helped the Dodgers past the Nationals in the National League Division Series, are the top free agent closers available. But Chapman's preference for a six-year contract and the sizable dollars both right-handers will earn in their big free agent payday might not be in line with the Nationals' budget, despite his prior history with Chapman, who routinely reaches triple digits with his fastball.

"I asked (about Chapman) and I didn't get a definitive answer, so I assumed we hadn't done it," Baker said. "But as important as relationships are, I've just learned that most of the time the salary supersedes the relationship."

The Nationals held interest in former Royals closer Wade Davis, who was dealt this afternoon to the Cubs in exchange for outfielder Jorge Soler. Washington has also been linked to David Robertson of the White Sox, who may be interested in shedding salary as part of a rebuilding effort. Robertson, a right-hander who has 156 saves over the past three seasons, is halfway through a four-year, $46 million contract that runs through 2018.

If the Nationals cannot acquire an experienced closer through trade or free agency, they will look to one of three power arms at the back of their bullpen - right-handers Blake Treinen and Koda Glover and lefty Sammy Solis - to inherit the role vacated by Melancon.

Of the three hard-throwers, only Treinen has a major league save - and he only has one. Solis saved four games after he was converted to a reliever in the minors, but none at the major league level. Both Treinen and Solis started their careers as starting pitchers before moving exclusively to the bullpen. Glover has the most closing experience of the trio - 13 saves and a 2.49 ERA in 59 minor league games, all in relief. Last season was Glover's first in the majors - he had a 5.03 ERA in 19 relief outings - but he's viewed within the organization as a possible future closer based on his stuff and demeanor.

The Nats also have right-hander Shawn Kelley, who filled in for Papelbon last summer when he was injured, posting seven saves, but Kelley might be better suited as a setup man.

But until someone lays claim to the ninth inning, Baker isn't stressing over the fact that an important role isn't presently filled.

"Somebody always emerges," he said. "I believe that, that somebody will come forward. They will separate themselves from the pack. But in the meantime, we're still looking to fill that void."

Other newsy topics Baker spoke about Wednesday included:

How the club will handle right-hander Stephen Strasburg, who ended the season on the disabled list with a strained flexor mass in his right arm: "I thought we handled him pretty good this year. Just some things happened. We'll see how he is. If there's anything I'm curious about, it's about how he is going into spring training. We have to see how he is, first, before we assess how we'll handle him. I'm hoping that it's all subsided. He's in the process of still learning himself and learning his body. I don't want to get too far ahead of myself."

The possibility of Bryce Harper moving from right field to center field if the Nationals acquire an outfielder who can't play center: "We haven't discussed it, really. Bryce can play it. At this point I would rather him not, just speaking honestly. That's a lot of wear and tear. You kinda got to have a wide receiver-type runner in center field. You know, wide receivers, they love to run. They just run, run, run and run. You gotta have a guy that just loves to run like, a la Gary Maddox, you look at Devon White. These guys, they run without any effort. I would just assume him stay (in right field) and hit and throw people out."

His impressions on promising right-hander Reynaldo Lopez: "He's come a long ways in a short period of time, which lets you know his desire and his ability to learn and to be taught and then apply it upon command. The fact that the adjustments that he made in such a short period of time, and a couple years ago this guy was a catcher and here he is now talking about him as one of our top, young pitchers, which a lot of people have asked for in trades and stuff. And we're trying to keep him out of that and that shows you how we feel about him. So, yeah, he's in our plans. We're not sure if it's starter or reliever. You ask him, he'll take whatever role we give him, he'll take that $500,000 minimum salary versus whatever he's going to make in the minor leagues, know when I mean? I'm sure he's happy in whatever spot we put him in for now."

How he views the down offensive year experienced last season by Pirates center fielder Andrew McCutchen, a trade target of the Nationals: "I saw a guy that might have been injured, but not hurt enough not to play. That's what I saw. I couldn't figure out how we were throwing fastballs by him because you don't throw fastballs by him. He's a hands hitter, I think something might have been wrong with his hands, personally, from a guy who has had hand injuries. No, I mean, he didn't gain weight, he hasn't lost any desire, he's only 30 years old. In modern baseball, there is no such thing as a down year now. People don't tolerate - they equate money to always doing good and it's not like that. So sometimes everything you hit is a hit and sometimes you have years where everything you hit is caught. So I just like to think he had a down year."