Nats positional preview: Bullpen

With just two days left until pitchers and report to Space Coast Stadium for spring training, our positional breakdown reaches the relievers. A couple of major moves by Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo in January changed the whole dynamic of the bullpen.

First, the departure of Tyler Clippard surprised many. The reliable right-hander was expected to resume his role as the eighth inning set-up man in 2015 until a trade sent him to Oakland for infielder Yunel Escobar. Clippard, a two-time All-Star, has been one of the most consistent late-inning relievers in the majors since arriving in D.C. in a trade with the Yankees in 2007.

Clippard went 34-24 with 34 saves and a 2.68 ERA in 414 games. He was once again a valuable member of the Nats bullpen in 2014 with a 7-4 record, one save and a 2.18 ERA, while leading the majors in holds with 40. Seems like a lot to replace, especially when you also consider the bullpen had already lost Ross Detwiler to Texas in a December trade and Rafael Soriano, who Rizzo allowed to leave via free agency after a disappointing second half in 2014.

Rizzo then made arguably the biggest move of the offseason by signing 2013 American League Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer to a seven-year contract to join what was already the toughest starting rotation in baseball.

Scherzer's addition to the five-man rotation leaves Tanner Roark as the odd man out. Probably not what Roark was expecting after delivering a 15-10 record with a 2.85 ERA and 1.093 WHIP in his first complete season as a starter last year. Nats manager Matt Williams told Roark to prepare as a starter in case of an injury, but for now it appears he becomes a welcome addition to the bullpen, where he will most likely share long relief duties with Craig Stammen.

Roark, 28, is 4-0 with a 1.19 ERA in nine career relief appearances. He pitched out of the bullpen in the National League Division Series last year, giving up three hits and one run in 2 2/3 innings over two appearances. Unfortunately, the one run came in the top of the 18th inning in Game 2 when Giants first baseman Brandon Belt deposited a Roark fastball into the second deck at Nats Park for a lead the home team would not be able to overcome.

Rizzo finished out January by signing free agent Casey Janssen, 33, who comes to Washington from Toronto, where he spent the first 10 years of his professional career after being drafted in the fourth round in 2004. From 2011-13, Janssen was 11-2 with a 2.46 ERA with 58 saves and 170 strikeouts in 173 games. However, 2014 was a bit of a roller coaster for the veteran right-hander. Before the All-Star break, Janssen was 3-0 with a 1.23 ERA in 23 games with 14 saves. But during the break, he experienced a rough bout with food poisoning while on a trip to the Dominican Republic and could not return to proper form. His ERA ballooned to 6.46 in the second half.

"They said I'll be pitching late in games. Right now, Drew (Storen) is their closer. And I told them that's fine. I'm going to do everything I can to get Drew the ball with the lead, and if that happens nightly, I think we're going to be in a good spot," Janssen told a Canadian radio station after signing.

So Rizzo appears to have his replacement for Clippard, assuming Janssen is able to regain his form. And as Janssen mentioned, his job will be to set the table for Storen to finish off the game.

Storen will begin 2015 as the closer. He assumed that role late in the 2014 season after Soriano's sharp decline. Storen went 10-for-10 in regular season save opportunities last year with a 1.12 ERA, tops in the National League and the second-best ERA for a reliever in the majors. However, Storen did bring up old postseason demons when he blew a save in Game 2 of the NLDS. He, of course, melted down on the mound in 2012 with an opportunity to close out the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 5 of the NLDS. Storen saved 43 games in 2011.

Expect right-handers Aaron Barrett and Blake Treinen to pitch in plenty of pressure-packed situations this season. The 6-foot-4 Barrett was impressive at times during his rookie 2014 campaign. He posted a 3-0 record with a 2.66 ERA in 50 appearances, while being mostly used in middle- to late-inning situations. Opponents hit just .219 against Barrett with runners in scoring position. His slider was especially dominant against right-handed hitters, allowing only a .277 on-base percentage.

Barrett also doesn't leave Nationals fans with the best postseason memories. His appearance in Game 4 of the NLDS was a nightmare. He walked the bases loaded, gave up the go-ahead run on a wild pitch and quickly exited after another. Like Storen, he will have to exorcise the postseason demons for a Nationals team that expects to play baseball in October in 2015.

Treinen is seen as a starting pitcher by many in the Nats organization. It's not hard to figure out why after the 26-year-old right-hander posted a 3.00 ERA with 16 strikeouts In 36 innings over eight starts in 2014. Unless injuries happen, there won't be any room in the Nats' star-studded rotation this year. That leaves the bullpen for the hard-throwing Treinen.

The 30-year-old Stammen was 4-5 with a 3.84 ERA and 1.26 WHIP in 49 relief outings last year. That was the highest ERA Stammen has posted since 2010, when he was a starter. The right-hander will still be called up in long relief situations this season.

Two lefties figure to factor in late-inning situations for the Nats this season. Rizzo acquired hard-throwing Matt Thornton from the Yankees last August and the 38-year-old responded with 11 1/3 scoreless innings while also stranding 100 percent of inherited baserunners. Jerry Blevins, 31, was 2-3 with a 4.87 ERA and 66 strikeouts in 57 1/3 innings last season, his first with the Nats after being acquired in an offseason trade with the A's. However, left-handed hitters batted only .160 against him. When we last saw Blevins, he was unhittable, pitching 3 1/3 scoreless innings in critical situations during the NLDS.