Amid all the hoopla around the Nelson Cruz signing, Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post dropped a little nugget about the Washington Nationals and former fan-favorite reliever Sean Doolittle.
According to Dougherty, the Nationals have been in talks with the left-handed Doolittle over the weekend.
The 35-year old Doolittle spent four seasons with the Nationals from 2017-2020 after six years with the Oakland Athletics. Fans gravitated to him with his play on the field and community work and advocating off the field.
He made the All-Star game in 2018 with an impressive 1.60 ERA. Despite struggling and losing his role as closer, Doolittle was an integral part in the Nationals run to a World Series championship in 2019.
The club allowed Doolittle to sign with another team at the end a struggling 2020 season. He signed a one-year deal with the Cincinnati Reds. However, he struggled posting a 4.46 ERA in 45 appearances and was waived in August.
He was claimed off waivers by the Seattle Mariners. He made 11 appearances but wasn’t much better in Seattle with a 4.76 ERA.
Doolittle made 145 appearances with the Nationals. He recorded 75 saves with a 3.03 ERA and 163 strikeouts while in Washington. But, his best days are clearly behind him. Still, bringing him back on a rebuilding club would be a huge hit with fans and bring some intrigue.
