Are Nats' Storen, Papelbon the right relievers to fill bullpen holes elsewhere?

The Nationals have spent the offseason rebuilding their bullpen, adding Trevor Gott, Shawn Kelley, Oliver Perez and Yusmeiro Petit.

With Drew Storen and Jonathan Papelbon, it would appear the Nationals' bullpen is set. But, given that Storen asked for a trade and Papelbon attempted to choke Bryce Harper at the end of last season, there are questions:

Will Storen and Papelbon stay in D.C. and can their issues not be a distraction? If the Nationals can't trade Papelbon, do they release him at the cost of his $11 million salary, or do they keep him and hope that everything blows over? If the team lets Papelbon go, will Storen be the closer?

What's the market like for experienced bullpen arms as good as these two?

Glad you asked.

Storen has a year left before he can become a free agent, a factor in a team's offering to the Nationals.

And while a list of teams was looking for bullpen arms when the offseason began, most teams have fixed their bullpens.

The Red Sox added Craig Kimbrel and the Yankees Aroldis Chapman. The Orioles kept Darren O'Day. Kansas City got Joakim Soria.

Seattle's reconstructed bullpen includes closer Steve Cishek. Houston re-signed lefty Tony Sipp and added closer Ken Giles in a trade from Philadelphia. Detroit, always a team with a weak bullpen, fixed its problems with three relievers, including closer Francisco Rodriguez.

The general consensus: The closer market is tight, but there are teams that need bullpen help:

Arizona: The Diamondbacks, a team on the move in the National League West, have added two starting pitchers - Zack Greinke and Shelby Miller - to a high-octane offense, so it makes sense that they might add to their bullpen. Brad Ziegler is their closer, but he has a submarine-type delivery and doesn't throw hard. Plus he's 36. The D-backs are a prime candidate to add a bullpen arm.

Toronto: The Blue Jays are another contender that needs bullpen help. Roberto Osuna is the closer with Brett Cecil one of the setup guys. Aaron Sanchez could move from setup role to the rotation. After that, the list of names to fill the bullpen isn't daunting.

Cleveland: The Indians are a young team on the rise with Bryan Shaw and closer Cody Allen in key relief roles. Could the Indians, with their talented rotation, build a similar roster to last year's Royals with the addition of another bullpen arm?

Los Angeles: The Angels had one of the best bullpens in the American League in 2014, but it was thin last season. Huston Street and Joe Smith are the mainstays with the rest of the jobs up for grabs in spring training. Are Street and Smith enough for the Angels? One wouldn't think so.

Minnesota: The Twins have Kevin Jepsen setting up lefty closer Glen Perkins and are thinking of moving Trevor May back to the rotation, which would open a spot in the bullpen. Perkins' reliability is a question. If the Twins want to contend, Storen could play role.

Miami: The Marlins were reportedly dealing with Cincinnati for Aroldis Chapman before he was sent to the Yankees, so why wouldn't they be calling the Nationals? Speaking of teams that tried to get Chapman, how about the Dodgers? Their closer is Kenley Jansen, but their setup corp could use another arm.

Atlanta: The Braves bullpen is a work in progress with lots of talent and not much experience, something we are not used to seeing. Arodys Vizcaino will be the closer going into spring training, but Jason Grilli could also win the job. After tearing down their team to the bare minimum, the Braves aren't expected to contend in 2016, but trading for Storen and giving him a long-term contract wouldn't be out of the question.

Cincinnati: The Reds are the team with the most glaring questions in the bullpen, but does it make sense for a rebuilding team to trade prospects for Papelbon or Storen?




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