Now that Brad Lidge has officially signed with the Washington Nationals, it's worth considering what his ultimate role with the team will end up being. The veteran reliever was once one of the league's feared closers, with 229 career saves. However, all indications are that he will set up and leave the real late-inning work to Tyler Clippard and Drew Storen.
Lidge has struggled with injuries recently and lost velocity on his pitches, but the Nationals are hoping he can still be an effective middle-inning guy for a good price.
For more on this potential signing and all things Washington Nationals, please head over to Federal Baseball.
The Washington Nationals have signed veteran reliever Brad Lidge to a one-year contract, and they apparently got him on a pretty good value, according to this report.
Nats announce one-year deal with Lidge. According to source, he gets $1 mill and incentives. Best of luck to a real competitor/gentleman
I was a little skeptical about this deal when it was announced because the Nationals don't really need someone like him in their bullpen. But for only $1 million plus incentives, it is a risk worth taking. Worst case scenario is the money is a sunk cost. But if Lidge can stay healthy and find his pitch again, then the Nationals would be getting a player that could help them put together one of the best bullpens in the major leagues. Certainly a risk worth taking.
For more on this signing and all things Washington Nationals, please head over to Federal Baseball.
The Washington Nationals have officially come to terms with reliever Brad Lidge on a one-year contract, according to a press release sent out by the team. Here are some interesting stats on Lidge based on the team press release.
In 10 seasons with the Phillies (2008-11) and Astros (2002-07), Lidge has fanned over 31 percent of all batters faced and his strikeout rate of 12.0 per 9.0 innings is the highest all-time among pitchers to throw at least 500 big league innings.
For a few years Lidge was one of the dominant relief pitchers in the game, but battles with injuries and confidence have caused him to fall off a little bit in the last few years. He isn't the kind of guy you want to bring in on a one-year deal to close games on a full time basis, but as part of a patchwork bullpen in the early innings of a game, he might surprise some people.
For more on this potential signing and all things Washington Nationals, please head over toFederal Baseball.
