Nationals reshape bullpen, getting 3 relievers at deadline

WASHINGTON (AP) >> It’s become a familiar ritual for the Washington Nationals under general manager Mike Rizzo: adding relievers at the trade deadline to address the biggest weakness on a contending team.

The Nationals were at it again on Wednesday, getting Daniel Hudson from the Toronto Blue Jays and Roenis Elías and Hunter Strickland from the Seattle Mariners in an effort to improve a bullpen that’s been overworked and sometimes overmatched.

Washington sent minor league right-hander Kyle Johnston to Toronto for Hudson, who can become a free agent at the end of the season. The Nationals dealt three pitching prospects to Seattle for Elías and Strickland, both of whom are under team control through 2021.

“These aren’t the sexiest names in the trade market but I think we got good quality, reliable guys with some moxie and some experience,” Rizzo said. “We got guys who have accumulated a lot of saves in the past. We got a couple controllable relievers for not only this year but the foreseeable future, and the player return was something that was acceptable to us.”

Washington has a strong starting rotation led by Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg and Patrick Corbin, but its bullpen ERA entering Wednesday’s loss to the Atlanta Braves was an NLworst 5.97. The Nationals signed Trevor Rosenthal in the offseason to become a setup man for closer Sean Doolittle but ended up releasing him because of persistent control issues. Rosenthal now pitches for the Detroit Tigers, with Washington still paying most of his $7 million salary.