Nats send Madson to Dodgers for minor league pitcher

The Nationals made the latest in a string of late-summer moves to deal away soon-to-be-free-agents this afternoon, sending reliever Ryan Madson to the Dodgers for minor league right-hander Andrew Istler just hours before Major League Baseball's pseudo-deadline to trade players who have been placed on revocable waivers.

Madson heads to Los Angeles after an up-and-down season in Washington, one in which he was counted on to serve as the club's primary setup man but struggled to stay healthy and effective. The 38-year-old had a 5.28 ERA and four saves in 49 appearances, including one highly notable blown save on Aug. 12 at Wrigley Field that landed him on the disabled list.

After dealing with a strained pectoral muscle in May, Madson returned to pitch this summer, but was thrust into an emergency closer role after both Sean Doolittle and Kelvin Herrera were placed on the DL. Handed a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the ninth against the Cubs three weeks ago, he loaded the bases with two outs and subsequently surrendered a walk-off grand slam to David Bote.

Following that game, Madson revealed he was dealing with back pain that shot down his right leg and hindered his ability to pitch. The Nationals placed him on the 10-day DL with lumbar nerve root irritation in his back. He returned earlier this week in Philadelphia and proceeded to surrender a home run to the first batter he faced before retiring the next three to complete the inning.

The Nats placed Madson, as they have done with several other veterans this month, on revocable waivers. The Dodgers put in a claim and the two teams were able to work out a deal today.

Istler, 25, had a 2.37 ERA in 41 appearances across three of the Dodgers' minor league affiliates, most recently Triple-A Oklahoma City. He's not ranked among the organization's top prospects.

The Dodgers are picking up all of Madson's remaining salary (roughly $1.2 million), according to a source familiar with the deal. That falls in line with other trades the Nationals have made over the last month, deals that have saved the club roughly $9.4 million this season, plus another $5 million in 2019.

In order for players to be eligible for postseason rosters, MLB rules require they be acquired before 11:59 p.m. tonight. The Nationals could still look to make more deals for pending free agents, most notably Gio Gonzalez and Matt Wieters.

The Nats recalled left-hander Sammy Solís from Triple-A Syracuse to fill Madson's spot in the current big league bullpen.