Searching for a closer has been laborious for the Washington Nationals. The effective one they had, Mark Melancon, took a higher offer from the San Francisco Giants after he entered free agency. That began a scramble of moderate participation in the high-cost stakes for the two other prime closers on the market: Kenley Jansen and Aroldis Chapman.
Neither came to Washington, which leaves the Nationals two weeks away from spring training without a designated person to pitch the end of the game.
Tuesday, Washington signed reliever Joe Nathan to a minor-league contract that includes an invitation to spring training in West Palm Beach, Florida.