HRs prove his undoing as Strickland released

Reliever gave up 11 in fewer than 30 innings since arrival

WASHINGTON — A day after all official baseball activities were halted, the Washington Nationals released right-handed reliever Hunter Strickland.

The 31-year-old had signed a one-year, $1.6 million deal this offseason, but by cutting Strickland now the Nationals only owe him 45 days’ worth of termination pay, which comes out to around $387,000.

The move opens up a spot on the Nationals’ 40-man roster, and, more importantly, their bullpen. Strickland had been figured into an eight-man group that also included Sean Doolittle, Will Harris, Daniel Hudson, Tanner Rainey, Wander Suero, Roenis Elías and either Austin Voth or Joe Ross.

Strickland was one of three relievers acquired at last year’s trade deadline and had missed most of the season with a lat injury. The promise was that he had a biting slider to go with high-90s heat, but he never found consistent command.

In 21 regular-season innings Strickland allowed five homers. In two postseason innings he allowed three homers, and in 6 2⁄3 innings this spring he allowed three more. The Nationals finally decided they had seen enough.

From here on, with baseball breaking due to the coronavirus outbreak, it will not be a normal spring. Clubs around the league are deciding whether to disband or stick together.

The Nationals had a meeting Saturday morning, and the consensus was to remain in West Palm Beach, Florida, at their spring training facility, to continue preparing for the season.

The tricky part is that they have no clue when that season will start. Their logic is that, by staying put, they’ll avoid travel and be in place to pick back up when exhibitions resume. When they do, the Nationals will have a small handful of questions to answer.

They have to decide whether Carter Kieboom is their starting third baseman. They need to pick a fifth starter between Ross, Voth or Erick Fedde. And, with Strickland gone, they need another arm to fill out the bullpen.

Strickland’s release came in a flurry of roster moves Saturday afternoon. The Nationals also let go of David Hernandez, a veteran reliever who was a non-roster invitee this spring. They optioned reliever Aaron Barrett, starters Kyle McGowin and Ben Braymer and infielder Jake Noll to Class AAA Fresno, and assigned Jacob Wilson, Brandon Snyder, Taylor Gushue, JB Shuck, Dakota Bacus, Bryan Bonnell and Wil Crowe to minor-league camp.

That leaves Kyle Finnegan, Ryne Harper, James Bourque, Austen Williams and Javy Guerra as relievers who could complete the bullpen. Finnegan, Harper, Bourque and Williams are already on the 40-man roster; Guerra would need to be added in the spot created by Strickland’s departure. Guerra was on the World Series roster last fall and gained appreciation from coaches and teammates by rejoining the Nationals after they released him in early August.

The Nationals have a few options with how to address the new opening on their 40-man roster. They could add a pitcher such as Guerra, leave the spot open for roster flexibility going into the season or add another non-roster invitee who impressed this spring, whether that’s veteran utility player Emilio Bonifacio or catcher Welington Castillo, who made 72 appearances for the Chicago White Sox in 2019.

What the Nationals know for sure is that they have some time to think about it.