Nats have picked a closer, but haven't told him yet

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - The Nationals appear to have decided on their closer to open the season. They just haven't informed the winner of that spring training competition, so his identity will remain anonymous for now.

"We've kind of settled on a guy," manager Dusty Baker said. "But we've got to tell the guy first."

The most significant and intriguing battle of the spring hasn't proven particularly dramatic. Each of the candidates - Shawn Kelley, Blake Treinen, Koda Glover - has pitched well and done nothing to take himself out of the running.

All have handled the situation well, too, unfazed by the fact they have been competing with each other for the highest-profile role in a Nationals bullpen that has plenty of talent even if it doesn't have anyone with significant experience pitching the ninth inning.

"This is how I feel: If you can't handle competition on your team, how are you going to handle competition against the opposition?" Baker said. "If you can't handle it in spring training, how are you going to handle it in September and October? That's how I look at it. This is nothing. You're either going to be in one position or the other. You're going to be on the team."

The pros and cons for all three right-handers remain the same from the first day of camp. Kelley has experience and swing-and-miss stuff, but may not be as durable given his two previous Tommy John surgeries. Treinen has a dominant sinker, but may be better utilized pitching his way out of jams in earlier innings because of his ability to induce double plays. Glover has both the stuff and the makeup of a closer, but the 23-year-old has only 19 games of big league experience and only 78 games of professional experience.

No matter the choice, Baker emphasized again his closer won't be on a short leash.

"Whoever we pick, we have to give him a chance to succeed or fail a number of times, or else you're out there pitching with uncertainty and fear that you're going to lose whatever job you have," the manager said. "But on the other hand, you can't let them fail too much, because then you're hurting us and possibly hurting him and his confidence. So that's a tough situation that we would rather have not been in. We were trying to come up with that, but sometimes the best trades or solutions might be right under your nose."

One other pseudo-candidate to close has been Joe Nathan, the 42-year-old with 377 career saves but only 6 2/3 major league innings pitched since 2014 due to his own second Tommy John surgery. The right-hander has made a team-high 11 relief appearances this spring, allowing five runs and 13 hits in 10 2/3 innings.

Nathan was free to enact an opt-out clause in his minor league contract Friday but remains in uniform for now. He has 72 hours to make a decision.

Meanwhile, right-hander Trevor Gott has been sidelined with a forearm injury, according to Baker. Gott, who hasn't pitched since March 10, has resumed throwing.