Nats suddenly find themselves searching for a new closer

Twenty-four hours ago, the Nationals’ most pressing roster needs appeared obvious. They needed a power-hitting first baseman. They needed a veteran starting pitcher. They needed an experienced reliever or two for a setup role. And maybe they needed another productive offensive player who could either hold or share the DH role with someone else.

And then just like that, they added another pressing need to the list: a closer.

Friday night’s unexpected decision not to tender a contract to Kyle Finnegan – fellow reliever Tanner Rainey also was non-tendered – created a major void in the Nats bullpen. Maybe Finnegan wasn’t an elite lockdown closer, but he ranked second in the National League in saves this season and over his five seasons in D.C. totaled 88 saves and 291 appearances, third-most in club history in each category.

Manager Davey Martinez’s remaining relief options boast nothing close to that kind of resume.

Derek Law, who was tendered a contract before Friday’s deadline, is a durable and reliable reliever, to be sure. But the 34-year-old has notched only 13 big league saves across parts of eight seasons with six different clubs. His value lies in his ability to take the ball as often as his manager needs him, which led to a whopping 75 appearances and 90 innings pitched this season. He actually pitches more regularly than a typical closer does.

Robert Garcia and Jose A. Ferrer are promising young left-handers who have shown an ability to succeed against hitters from both sides of the plate. Either southpaw has the potential to grow into the closer’s role someday, but it’s tough to imagine Martinez, heading into the ninth inning in a one-run game on Opening Day, handing the ball to either of them yet.

Those are the only three relievers still on the Nationals’ 40-man roster who appear to be locks to make the team coming out of spring training. Finnegan and Rainey figured to join them, leaving only a few holes to fill this winter.

Now, general manager Mike Rizzo needs to acquire multiple relievers to fill out the rest of the staff, and it stands to reason at least one of them will have real big league closing experience.

Who’s out there? The list is comprehensive, with several big-name (albeit expensive) free agents available, including Kenley Jansen, Craig Kimbrel, Aroldis Chapman and Blake Treinen. There’s a second tier of well established late-inning relievers, including Clay Holmes, David Robertson, Tanner Scott, Chris Martin, Carlos Estévez and Jordan Romano (who was non-tendered by the Blue Jays). And then there are the usual phalanx of experienced bullpen arms available every offseason, often at minimal prices.

Rizzo did a nice job taking advantage of that third market last winter and spring, signing Dylan Floro for $2.25 million and Law and Jacob Barnes to minor league deals that turned into major league deals when each veteran made the roster. More of those types of low-risk moves are expected in the coming months.

But now the Nats have added a big-ticket item to their holiday shopping list. They could have retained Finnegan for another season, paying him somewhere between $8 million and $9 million and hoped he became a little more consistent while still making his customary 65 appearances before becoming a free agent next winter.

They ultimately believed Finnegan wasn’t worth retaining at that price. The question now becomes: Are they prepared to bring in another established closer, potentially at an even higher price?