Grace focused on better defining his role in Nats bullpen

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - When the Nationals traded for Ryan Madson, Sean Doolittle and Brandon Kintzler in a pair of deals last July, the moves did more than fortify a struggling bullpen. Because Doolittle and Madson were under team control through 2018, and after Kintzler was re-signed this offseason, it ensured that the Nats would return the back end of their bullpen intact.

But the trio's return has a ripple effect, keeping other holdover relievers in familiar roles and giving them another season to grow and prosper. Left-hander Matt Grace, for one, values the stability the high-leverage veterans provide.

"It's nice to see that continuity," Grace said. "It's a good group, both on and off the field, with a lot of experience and a lot of different viewpoints of how you go about getting outs in the big leagues. As a group, I think people have fed off of that, and I've learned a lot from Kintzler, Madson and Doolittle. Those guys that they brought in, just watching them and how they go about it, it just kind of trickles down, I think. If you have that continuity, that mix of experience and a bunch of different guys, I think everyone gets better because of it."

Only two relievers who had significant roles in last year's bullpen won't be back: Southpaw Oliver Pérez was let go and signed a minor league deal with the Reds last week, and veteran righty Matt Albers parlayed last season's breakthrough into a two-year, $5 million contract with the Brewers.

The Nationals are hoping that veteran right-handers Sean Kelley and Koda Glover can bounce back from injury-marred seasons, though Glover has yet to throw this spring because of a shoulder problem, leading the team to sign 40-year-old righty Joaquin Benoit to a $1 million, one-year major league deal.

Grace is battling with two other holdover lefties, Enny Romero and Sammy Solís, for what may be just two spots in the opening day bullpen, depending on how new manager Davey Martinez configures his relief corps. Martinez isn't sure at this point how many left-handers the Nats will carry north.

"Nowadays you have right-handed pitchers who can get lefties out, you got left-handed pitchers who can get righties out, so it'd be nice to have that balance," Martinez said. "But we're just looking for guys that can get hitters out."

And that's fine with Grace, 29, who did a little bit of everything last year - starting a game in an emergency, recording two saves before the trade that brought Doolitte to D.C. and emerging as a reliable arm out of the 'pen capable of pitching in multiple roles.

"You can look at it as being a tough situation, but I'm pretty good friends with all those guys - and it's a bunch of good guys - so you do what you do and focus on what you can control," he said. "Focus on yourself and it's going to play out how it's going to play out. I'm not worried about it. I just want to be there in D.C. and help this team out."

Grace spent the offseason trying to refine his arsenal. While he's always trusted his sinker to be a go-to pitch, he's been working on a four-seam fastball that he hopes will be more effective against right-handers. By being able to better defend himself against right-handed batters, Grace hopes to create more of a defined role for himself.

Last season, right-handed hitters slashed .290/.350/.467 off Grace, while left-handed swingers struggled to a .235/.315/.235 clip. Continue to be effective against lefties and improve against righty sticks, and Grace figures he's got the recipe for success that will make him capable of pitching multiple innings. He went more than an inning 12 times in 39 appearances last year.

"It's more to righties," Grace said of the four-seamer. "If I'm going to be extended in longer situations and going against righties, then I feel like I go to my sinker and go to my sinker consistently. I feel like I'll get ground balls off of it, but whether the contact's going to be more hard than I'd like - that's where the four-seam comes in. Try to get them a little off the plate, go in with it and hopefully change that where they're not consistently diving over the plate. The changeup, too, can help offset some of that stuff against righties."

He's worked a lot on the changeup in the offseason, as well as a different variation of his slider that he's growing more comfortable with.

"I don't know if I'm going to go with that, but it's definitely something I've been working on," he said.

This is Grace's fourth spring training and Martinez is the third skipper he's pitched for. He opened eyes in the 2015 camp, tossing 7 1/3 scoreless innings when Matt Williams managed. Two years ago, when Dusty Baker took over, Grace tossed another two scoreless frames of relief. Last spring, he posted a 2.16 ERA in nine outings covering 8 1/3 innings. He's hoping his days of shuttling between Triple-A Syracuse and the big leagues are over.

"It gets a little more comfortable with where I'm at with the team and the organization," he said. "Kind of pressing forward and making sure I'm doing everything I can to make the team, get better and contribute."