On July 16, 2017, the Washington Nationals had a problem. The team was 55-36, the starting pitching and offense were both doing outstanding jobs, but the one weakness of the team was their bullpen, especially the back end. Mike Rizzo and the Nationals front office realized a move needed to be made, and they acquired Ryan Madson and Sean Doolittle from the Oakland Athletics.
When this move was made, I and many other Nationals fans were uncertain about what Doolittle would bring. There were questions if he would even be the closer over Madson, and many questioned if the move would be enough to make their bullpen serviceable for a deep playoff run.