WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Joe Nathan tucked a football under his arm and ran out of the double doors in the Washington Nationals new clubhouse. Out back is a fresh “agility field” for players to work on. Nathan was turning it into a temporary football field.
He looked spry for a 42-year-old reliever who twice has had Tommy John surgery and is entering his 17th major league season. What he has left in his right arm, which has produced 377 saves, can be folded into the other questions about Nationals relievers as they search for a closer.