Derek Carr just signed a 5 year $125m deal with the Raiders with only $40m guaranteed and in an instant every Redskins fan asked themselves the same exact question… “Isn’t Kirk worth at LEAST the same?!” Steve and Joe debate what Kirk is worth on the open market verses what he is worth to this Redskins team with this staff and this roster in the historical context of Washington DC sports plus the duo offer a few thoughts on the 1991 Redskins team which was recently hailed as the best in the NFL over the last 30 years and recap the Nationals weekend series against the Reds too!
It’s been an eventful two weeks for the Washington Capitals. If you’re like us here at DTC, you are just now getting over the sting of that upsetting loss. The Capitals appear to have moved on faster than us fans. Thankfully. Onwards and Forwards to next year. Critics claim the window is closing. They say our chance to hoist up the Stanley Cup is quickly fading. Try telling that to GM Brian MacLellan.
First things first we have to discuss the resigning of T.J Oshie. The last two seasons were reason alone to offer up an 8yr/46mil contract. Thankfully the Capitals front office signed and secured him before he hit Free Agency. I’m sure another DC team wished they had done something similar….cough-Redskins-cough…Anyways, locking up Oshie right after losing Nate Schmidt was just what this fan base needed to see. Its evident that the front office is focused on keeping this team as competitors and fighting while we still can.
Speaking of Nate Schmidt, losing a defenseman is never easy. Especially when you think back to this year’s playoffs and how much help was needed. Currently we have 4 defensemen. Niskanen, Carlson, Orpik and Chorney. Orlov is also expected to resign, making the grand total 5. That leaves the Caps one defenseman short of three full pairs. A quality 7th is also a big need. If you don’t really know what any of that means, all you need to know is this — We need more defenseman on our damn team!
Enter the NHL draft. Once again, the Capitals front office is addressing needs and making fans everywhere take a deep breath. Within the span of 60 minutes, the Caps drafted 3 young defensemen. Tobias Geisser (4th round), Sebastian Walfridsson (5th round) and Benton Maass (6th round). The biggest pickup naturally being Geisser. Big frame, great 2-way defenseman, impressive mobility and owns a hard shot. Great for power plays. The only knock would be that he plays soft for how big his frame is. Hey, maybe he and Matt Jones can get together and discuss other similarities.
Without forgetting the final pick of the draft, the Caps drafted another winger. Kristian Roykas-Mathinsen from Norway. Good young player that shows plenty of offensive prowess. Overall the Caps have done enough to keep this fan satisfied. Now all that’s left is to figure out where Ovechkin disappears to during the playoffs.
Lonzo Ball is a Laker! Magic is doing big things in LaLaLand… and with that the 2017 NBA Draft is underway with no shortage of storylines! Steve, LP, and Joe are watching and chatting in real-time about the draft picks as they are confirmed and breaking down the plethora of trade rumors too! Be warned, Steve gets heated when his fan-hood is challenged and LP attempts to force the trio into discussing the Wizards (a team with no picks AGAIN this year) while Joe opens the show with a conspiracy theory he believes to be true.. which it might be.. why have the last 48 hours been more interesting in the NBA as opposed to the last 48 days? Tune in and find out! (photo credit: Mike Stobe/Getty Images)
Giancarlo Stanton came to bat in the seventh inning of game 1 of the Nationals series against the Marlins this week. To protect a one run lead in the late innings against one of the premier power hitters in the game today, the team turned to….Jacob Turner. The same Jacob Turner who owns a career E.R.A. over 5. That plan worked about as well as you might expect with Turner serving up the game-tying home run on a pitch right down the middle. The Nationals bullpen went on to give up the winning run in the ninth and pile on another loss, their 12th already this season. The Nats have a 10 game lead in the standings in spite of the bullpen, not because of it. As every team trots out seemingly 2-3 relievers every night throwing gas and getting outs, the Nationals bullpen has set 12 wins on fire already and been shaky too many times to count. On top of the 12 losses you can point to many other situations where the Nats ‘pen has been bailed out by a sizzling offense thus far. With that in mind, it’s time for Mike Rizzo and the front office to get the offense and the starters some help.
Washington Nationals catcher Matt Wieters, right, hands teammate closer Blake Treinen (45) the ball after winning, 4-2, the opening day baseball game against Miami Marlins in Washington, Monday, April 3, 2017. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
Opening day seems like a long time ago, and it was, but given that most teams still fancy themselves as contenders, below is a list of four relievers on teams that might be willing to deal some of their bullpen pieces to further bolster their farm systems.
Tommy Kahnle, White Sox: Coming into the year, many expected the Nationals to target a top relief pitcher on the White Sox. Not many expected Kahnle, not David Robertson, to be the hottest commodity in the Sox bullpen this year. In this his fourth season, Kahnle has been absolutely ridiculous under the tutelage of renowned pitching coach Dan Cooper. Flashing 100 mph with a nasty slider and bugs-bunny changeup, Kahnle has dominated the American League thus far. He’s given up only 21 baserunners in 28.1 innings and has struck out an astonishing 48 batters thus far (For those scoring at home, that’s a K/9 of 15.25). While he won’t come cheap since he offers three more years of team control, Kahnle would be the exact pitcher you’d want to face Stanton in the situation above. With more seasoning in high-leverage situations and given his success against both right-handed and left-handed batters, the Nationals could be looking at their close of the present and the future.
Justin Wilson, Tigers: Then again, it might be Wilson who could step in to provide stability at the back end of the bullpen. Wilson assumed the closer role for the Tigers in early May and has continued to be a force. With a power Sinker/Cutter combo that touches 97-98 and a filthy hook, Wilson has also thrived this year. He has a K/9 ratio of 13.00 having struck out 39 batters in just 27 innings. With one more year of team control after this one, Wilson would provide a season and a half’s worth of stability. As a power lefty, he would also decrease Dusty Baker’s forced reliance on guys such as Oliver Perez and Matt Grace. Additionally, it would move Enny Romero into lower-leverage situations where he can pitch with confidence. With equal splits against both righties and lefties, Wilson would also be more than just a lefty matchup guy.
Sean Doolittle, A’s: Having just returned from an injury that sidelined him in early April, the former UVA Cavalier would most likely be the cheapest of the options listed. With injuries hampering him over the last two seasons, Doolittle also offers the most uncertainty. Amazingly, since his return from injury, Doolittle has yet to give up a hit or a walk to the 15 left-handed batters he’s faced thus far. While he’s been no chump against righties, Doolittle offers dominance from the left side that the Nationals are craving ever so badly. Looking ahead to the playoffs, Doolittle would be the exact pitcher called up to face guys like Anthony Rizzo, Kyle Schwarber, Cody Bellinger, Joc Pederson, among others. With one more year of team control plus two easily avoidable option years, he offers the exact blend of affordability and low-risk that the Lerners would be looking for.
Brad Hand, Padres: As hard to fathom as it sounds, this might be the guy that would step in and provide the Nationals with their version of Andrew Miller. Given his standing as a former failed starter, Hand would be the perfect piece to bring on for more than an inning at a time to face both right and left handers alike. His splits this year bear that out as the left-hander has actually held right-handed batters to a .576 OPS (On-base plus slugging). His K/9 rate of 11.27 also bears out the fact that he’s been dominant in his conversion to the bullpen. With San Diego in the midst of a gigantic rebuild, they will surely listen to all offers on Hand and their other veterans. Hand offers two more years of team control after this one and under Pitching Coach Mike Maddux, he can take the next step in his evolution as a premier lefty reliever in the NL.
The Nationals would be hard-pressed to trade for all of them, but even just one or two of the guys above can provide the Nationals with stability in the back end of their bullpen. While Baker is of the belief that all the Nationals need is a closer and that everything else would fall into place, it would be wise for Rizzo and the Lerners to get as much relief help as possible. With a couple of key bullpen additions, the Nationals bullpen can combine with their strong starting pitching and offense to make the team a force to be reckoned with come playoff time.
On this edition of Redskins Roster Report, (TripleR) LP, FP, and Joe are locked-on wide receivers and outside linebackers! The trio debate if the Redskins WRs can replicate the success of last years unit and if the full roster of linebackers are the best of any Redskins team in the past ten years! Other topics include if Eddie Royal or Vincent Jackson should be added to the roster and why PED use should be encouraged once a player is already suspended… it’s bulking season boys! #HTTR (photo credit: David Richard/AP Photo)
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Defeating the Curse 