The Washington Nationals came into the 2018 season with one of the best rosters in the MLB. They had a deep lineup with proven hitters, excellent starting pitching, and they finally had reliable relievers in the bullpen to handle the late innings in games. Or so they thought.
After the team traded for Brandon Kintzler, Ryan Madson, and Sean Doolittle at the trade deadline in 2017, the team was able to bring back all three for the 2018 season. The trio had a great end to the year in 2017, so returning that same trio theoretically gave the Nationals stability in the back end of the bullpen.