Replacing Clippard isn't easy

When evaluating the Nationals as they prepare to embark on a season with the highest of expectations, it's easy to get caught up in the incredible starting rotation that general manager Mike Rizzo has assembled. Few uncertainties surround this team, but a glaring one is the dilemma of who will step in to replace the departed Tyler Clippard.

The reliable right-hander was expected to resume his role as the eighth-inning set-up man in 2015 until Rizzo traded him to Oakland for infielder Yunel Escobar in January. 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 2007. Last season, he finished with a 7-4 record, one save and a 2.18 ERA, while leading the majors in holds with 40.

So it's up to manager Matt Williams to deal with the predicament of filling the void left by Clippard's exit.

"Well, it's not easy," Williams said. "Those guys are unique. Clip is extremely unique in that regard. The ability to go multiple days in a row in a high-leverage, high-pressure situation is unique. We'll have to look at it and at this point say, maybe we ought to match up a little more. As it was last year, that eighth inning was his. It may be that we match up in the eighth inning. He had great splits. He got lefties out. He got righties out. So that may be a matchup situation depending on the game, depending on the team, depending on volume prior. All of those things come into play. We'll look at that as we get deeper into spring, get the guys into some of those situations where we're matching up potentially in the eighth inning to get the ball to the ninth inning and close it out hopefully."

Rizzo followed the Clippard trade by signing free agent reliever Casey Janssen in late January. Janssen, 33, has pitched in every situation since making his major league debut in 2006 with the Blue Jays, but the expectation is that Rizzo brought him to D.C. to fill the eighth-inning role left by Clippard.

In recent years, Janssen has been a very good closer for the Blue Jays. From 2011-13, he was 11-2 with a 2.46 ERA with 58 saves and 170 strikeouts in 173 games. Before the All-Star break last season, Janssen was 3-0 with a 1.23 ERA in 23 games with 14 saves. However, his ERA ballooned to 6.46 in the second half of the season after a bout with food poisoning left him quite weak.

Janssen, like his new manager, is well aware of how valuable Clippard was to the Nats.

"I definitely looked at Tyler's numbers and they're pretty impressive, so big shoes to fill if that were the case," Janssen said. "They said I'm going to pitch late. I'm going to help fill the seventh, eighth or potentially the ninth inning if Drew (Storen) needs a night off or something like that. For the most part, they said everything is just going to figure itself out through spring training."

Williams would prefer for his relievers to know their roles, but that may not be a luxury available to him at least early in the season.

"You want to," Williams said. "There are times during spring training or during the course of the season where those things change. It happened to us last year in the ninth inning. So we have to be able to adjust to it and at the same time try to establish those roles and get those guys prepared to pitch in those situations. But the game is what it is and it changes sometimes, so we all have to be able to adapt to that, too."

Heading into his ninth season in the majors, the seasoned Janssen sees value in knowing when the skipper will most likely hand him the ball.

"I think it kind of works itself out and I think you start to get a feel for how the manager plans to use you," Janssen said. "It's a great feeling when the phone rings and somebody already knows it's their time. With a strong 'pen and guys pitching to certain roles, I think it just plays itself out accordingly."

Barring injury, the signing of Max Scherzer effectively knocked Tanner Roark out of the starting rotation. The expectation is that Roark slides into a long relief role, but Williams said the right-handed Roark is a candidate for some late-inning relief work.

"Yeah, because he ticks up," said Williams. "His (fastball) ticks up when he gets in the bullpen. He goes from 90 to 93 (mph) to 92 to 95 (mph). And so that's an opportunity. The fact that he can come in and he feels confident and we certainly feel confident that when he comes in he throws strikes, he changes speeds, he holds baserunners, he fields his position. All of those things speak to both of them. But, again, it's a little bit of a different look, the bullpen this year and there's opportunity in that regard for him and everybody else to solidify those roles as we go."

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 campaign. He posted a 3-0 record with a 2.66 ERA in 50 appearances in 2014, 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 National League Division Series 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.

Two lefties figure to factor into 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.