What's the holdup with the Nats trading Drew Storen?

NASHVILLE - The Nationals came to the Winter Meetings determined to solve the Drew Storen dilemma. Yet as the annual offseason baseball confab hits the home stretch, Storen is still part of their bullpen.

Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo and new manager Dusty Baker are being careful in their comments, acknowledging the obvious but continuing to try and build up Storen's trade value by reminding reporters that he's still an important piece, valuable enough that he'd probably be slated for eighth-inning duties if he's not moved.

"Drew Storen, his name's been mentioned around the league," Rizzo said yesterday. "We've fielded several calls for Drew and several of our other bullpen pieces, too."

But unless he's wowed by an offer - or a talented relief arm needs to be thrown into a bigger deal to get it done - Rizzo isn't interested in guys like Blake Treinen and Felipe Rivero pitching elsewhere in 2016.

Oliver Perez's expected arrival - remember, the Nationals haven't officially announced his two-year, $7 million deal, though Rizzo spoke about him at length on Monday, something he rarely does unless things are finalized - could complicate the left-handed side of the bullpen a bit. The Nats already have lefties Rivero, Matt Grace and Sammy Solis, and have signed Sean Burnett to a minor league deal with a spring training invitation. That's one or two southpaws too many, so maybe one of those could go in a deal, or the Nationals could just hoard the left-handers for minor league bullpen depth.

Rizzo's task remains what it has been since he touched down here Sunday evening - find a deal for Storen that allows the deposed closer a change of scenery and a fresh start, and find a taker for closer Jonathan Papelbon. As with Storen, everybody's toeing the company line about how Papelbon is still the ninth-inning guy, but no one really sees that happening (especially since Rizzo said the Nats were in position to eat most or all of the $11 million he's owed for 2016 if conditions forced them to).

There is a market for Storen. The Astros are seeking a closer, though it appears Storen is their fallback option if they're not able to pry Mark Melancon from the Pirates, Ken Giles from the Phillies, or Brad Boxberger or Jake McGee from the Rays. If one or both of the Tampa Bay relievers are dealt, maybe the Rays could be a landing spot. The Tigers still need some bullpen help, even after trading for Francisco Rodriguez, and K-Rod's departure creates a hole in the Brewers 'pen. Maybe Giles gets dealt and Storen is attractive to the Phillies - it's a stretch to think Rizzo would deal him in the division, but if all else fails and the offer makes sense, stranger things have happened.

Storen is arbitration-eligible, and MLBTradeRumors.com predicts he will garner $8.8 million through arbitration. He's getting to the point salary-wise where he won't be cost-efficient for some teams, especially those that would prefer to spend their dollars on bats rather than bullpen arms.

There's also the issue of whether Storen closes or sets up. Since he pitched poorly after moving back to the eighth inning following the acquisition of Papelbon at the trade deadline, teams are wary of throwing him into the ninth inning. Storen would obviously perfer to pitch the ninth, but may need to re-establish himself. One of the factors in Storen's potentially weighty salary through arbitration is that his years as a successful closer are counted in the calculations.

The situation with Aroldis Chapman has also thrown a wrench into many teams' plans at the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center. With the deal sending Chapman from the Reds to the Dodgers for two prospects now in a holding pattern because of the domestic abuse allegations surrounding the Cuban reliever, movement has been temporarily halted on the bullpen market, particularly in terms of the backend arms. With no resolution expected in the immediate future on Chapman's situation, it's possible teams will just assume he stays Reds property and start moving on to other possible targets, which could turn a trickle of moves into a flood.

One market Rizzo hasn't been a player in has been the frenzy surrounding young, controllable starting pitching. The Braves last night sent righty Shelby Miller to the Diamondbacks for a package of young players highlighted by last year's overall top draft pick, shortstop Dansby Swanson, and outfielder Ender Inciarte. The Marlins may be dangling Jose Fernandez, hoping they could get even a larger, stronger package of young players.

"They're great young pitchers that are talented and you have control of their contracts," Rizzo said yesterday before the Miller deal was announced. "They're low-cost assets. They'd be a good acquisition for any team. We haven't kicked the tires on any of those yet. We've done that in the past, put a prospect package together for starting pitching. But in those two particulars, we haven't."