David Huzzard: Jonathan Papelbon really isn't a big problem for Nats

It isn't difficult to find weakness with the 2016 Nationals, which is a bit odd, because at 19-8 they have the second- best record in baseball. Just ask Nats fans and they'll tell you the team could be even better if it weren't for that darn closer, Jonathan Papelbon. The thing about closers is they all blow saves and they all struggle at times, but theirs is a position that when they struggle their team losses. Of all the Nats closers, the only one that I could think of that maintained his popularity his entire time with the Nats was Matt Capps.

Someone just threw their hands up with disgust and exclaimed, "But I loved The Chief in 2005," and I'm certain you did. I attended a fan even in 2006 where Chad Cordero was scheduled to make an appearance but he bowed out because he blew a save the night before and the fan fervor was such that it would have been too uncomfortable for him to be there. There isn't a closer in the history of baseball that hasn't been disliked or blamed for a team's loss at some point. We didn't have Twitter in 2001, but I'm certain if we did, it wouldn't have been kind to Mariano Rivera.

The problem the Nationals face is Papelbon isn't bad. He isn't liked either, but he isn't bad. He is no longer what he was for the Red Sox, but start naming closers who are definite upgrades over Papelbon and it's a pretty short of pitchers that aren't going to be available via trade. If Papelbon is unable to bounce back from his latest blown save, the Nationals could try out Felipe Rivero or Shawn Kelley as closer, but that's if Papelbon blows a couple in a row. So far, he's bounced back each time he's blown a save, and at times has looked dominant.

This isn't like Rafael Soriano squeaking out saves by the skin of his teeth and looking on the verge of blowing one every time he took the mound. Papelbon has a 4.50 ERA, but other stats say it should be better. He has a 2.90 FIP and a .375 BABIP against. The blown save against the Royals has a lot to do with that. The Royals are a team that won the World Series by making bullpens look bad with their speed and contact skills. Ask Tyler Clippard and other 2015 Mets relievers what it's like to be singled to death.

When the trade deadline rolls around this year, I will say the Nationals could use some bullpen help, but that is because that is almost always an area that can be upgraded and is always available. The question right now is, who is a definite upgrade over Papelbon that looks to be available? Most bad teams have gotten really good at trading closers and it's hard to think of a bad team that has a closer that would represent a definite upgrade. Glen Perkins is the one that comes to mind and he's currently dealing with a shoulder injury.

Papelbon isn't Craig Kimbrel or Aroldis Chapman, but he isn't as bad as everyone is going to say he is the morning after he blows a save either. I'm sure there is an upgrade out there somewhere, but eventually that person would be the most disliked man in Natstown, like all the other closers before. Papelbon isn't great, he isn't a shutdown closer, he isn't a guaranteed victory - but he's just as good or better than most options available to the Nats. And until that upgrade is obvious or Papelbon struggles for multiple games in a row, the best thing that Nats can do is keep leading in the ninth and giving him save opportunities.

David Huzzard blogs about the Nationals at Citizens of Natstown. Follow him on Twitter: @DavidHuzzard. His views appear here as part of MASNsports.com's season-long initiative of welcoming guest bloggers to our pages. All opinions expressed are those of the guest bloggers, who are not employed by MASNsports.com but are just as passionate about their baseball as our regular roster of writers.