MLB BUZZ's posts tagged Joe Nathan

See all posts tagged with Joe Nathan »

• Rangers still looking for 'pen help — and Bailey is a target

  November 30, 2011 by KenRosenthal

  The Rangers traded for right-handed setup men Mike Adams and Koji Uehara last July. They signed free-agent closer Joe Nathan to a two-year, $14.5 million contract last week.

  And they are still trying to upgrade their bullpen.

  Not only did the Rangers make a strong push for free-agent righty Jonathan Broxton, who signed a one-year, $4 million deal with the Royals, but they also are one of the clubs trying to trade for Athletics closer Andrew Bailey, major-league sources say.

  The Rangers, who also pursued Bailey before the non-waiver trade deadline, intend to build the strongest relief corps possible after producing a 7.43 bullpen ERA in their seven-game loss to the Cardinals in the World Series.

  “They are going to get one more guy at the back end of their bullpen, I can promise you that,” said one source who has been in contact with the Rangers.

  The addition of Nathan enabled the Rangers to move their previous closer, right-hander Neftali Feliz, into the starting rotation. Broxton likely would have pitched in the seventh inning, with Adams continuing to work the eighth.

  A trade for Bailey would give the Rangers a late-inning tandem of Adams, Bailey and Nathan — one of the strongest in baseball. A lefty such as the White Sox’s Matt Thornton might be an even better fit than Bailey. And it’s still possible that the team will re-sign C.J. Wilson or replace him with another free-agent lefty, Mark Buerhle.

  Uehara could remain part of the bullpen mix, or the Rangers could trade him. Teams are calling the Rangers about Uehara, sources say, but club officials have been reluctant to move him.

  — Ken Rosenthal

  0 Comments
• Nathan wanted the Rangers

  November 21, 2011 by KenRosenthal

   

  Once Joe Nathan decided he was gone, he was gone.

  He didn’t go back to the Twins, trying to inflate his price, according to his agent, Dave Pepe. He was comfortable signing with the Rangers, and that’s what he did.

  Nathan, 36, agreed to a two-year, $14.5 million contract with the two-time defending American League champions on Monday night, becoming their new closer.

  Pepe said the Twins also made Nathan a two-year offer, and that “the prospect of a better deal was out there” from a third, undisclosed team. But Nathan, after eight seasons with the Twins, wanted the Rangers.

  A dinner meeting with Rangers team president Nolan Ryan, general manager Jon Daniels, assistant GM Thad Levine and special assistant Don Welke about two weeks ago helped persuade Nathan to make the move, Pepe said.

  “It comes with mixed emotions,” Pepe said. “He loved Minnesota. He had lots of friends there. He had lots of friends on the team. His wife loved it. His family loved it. They were great to him, and he was pretty good to them.

  “But he felt there was a point in time (where he thought), ‘Wow, this is something I really want to do.’ Joe’s rear-view mirror doesn’t work too well. When he makes a decision, he doesn’t look back. When things happen to him, he doesn’t look back.”

  The Rangers perhaps overpaid Nathan by $1 million to $2 million per season, but they believe that they also “bought” an affordable starter in former closer Neftali Feliz, whom they now will move to the rotation.

  The Twins’ two-year offer is a good sign for the Rangers, indicating that Minnesota — the team that knows Nathan best — is confident that he is fully recovered from the Tommy John surgery that sidelined him for the entire 2010 season.

  Nathan averaged 41 saves per season from 2004 to ’09 and showed marked improvement as he rounded into form after the All-Star break last season, holding opponents to a .654 OPS.

  With the addition of Nathan, Rangers manager Ron Washington and his coaches need not vacillate about whether to return Feliz or even Alexi Ogando to the bullpen next spring.

  Nathan is an established closer.

  Nathan is their man.

  — Ken Rosenthal

  0 Comments
• Twins getting healthy, seeking bullpen help

  July 22, 2011 by KenRosenthal

  By Saturday, when right-hander Scott Baker comes off the disabled list to face the Tigers, the number of Twins on the DL will be down to two.

  The two are center fielder Denard Span and first baseman Justin Morneau, but Span should return soon and Morneau is perhaps a month away.

  In the meantime, the Twins consider themselves buyers, even though they’re six games under .500 and six games out in the AL Central.

  Their primary target: A middle-inning reliever.

  “We just need depth,” general manager Bill Smith said Friday morning. “We’ve got (Joe) Nathan, (Matt) Capps and (left-hander Glen) Perkins at the back – that’s a good group.

  “Capps has struggled a little bit lately, but he has been very, very good for us. We’re fine with those three late in games. We just have some inexperience getting to that point.”

  Smith reserved special praise for Nathan, who has a 1.74 ERA in 11 games since returning from a right flexor muscle strain.

  “Our pitching coach, Rick Anderson, told him, ‘Go find your fastball,’” Smith said. “Go on a rehab (assignment), throw fastballs, get that back, and everything else will come together.”

  Now the Twins will find out if everything can come together for their team, too.

  On Thursday, they activated outfielder Jason Kubel, who missed 47 games with a sprained left foot. Span, recovering from a concussion, is on a rehabilitation assignment at Triple A. Morneau, out with a strained left wrist, is expected back in mid to late August.

  — Ken Rosenthal

  0 Comments