The Nationals' bullpen, stripped of almost all its depth in the course of the last year, might be regaining some stability. Washington signed left-hander Joe Beimel to a one-year, $2 million contract on March 18, adding the setup man that manager Manny Acta had been hoping to find all spring.
Beimel went 5-1 with a 2.02 ERA in 71 appearances for the Dodgers last season, the best year in a solid three-season run in Los Angeles. He was left without a job, like a number of talented relievers, because of a tepid free agent market. But Acta was thrilled to add a veteran reliever to a group that had been full of struggling young arms to that point.
"I have my eighth-inning guy," Acta said.
Because Beimel is likely to have the setup role, the Nationals presumably will keep Mike Hinckley as a left-handed specialist. Those two would likely join closer Joel Hanrahan, seventh-inning reliever Saul Rivera and a trio of relievers from a group including Garrett Mock, Jesus Colome, Julian Tavarez, Jason Bergmann, Ryan Wagner and Steven Shell.
Washington traded Jon Rauch and Luis Ayala last season, and it decided not to tender long-time closer Chad Cordero a contract after the right-hander had surgery to repair a torn labrum.
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