Ruben Amaro was pretty blunt about it. If the Phillies and Ryan Madson cant agree on a new deal, the general manager said hell likely look outside the organization to find a closer since he isnt comfortable with the teams internal options.
If Madson walks, one of the names mentioned by various hardball heads as a potential replacement is Twins closer Joe Nathan. On Tuesday, Minnesota decided to buy out Nathan for 2 million rather than pay the 12.5 million he would have been owed next season. In the same way the Phillies might try to re-sign Roy Oswalt and Brad Lidge for less money after buying them out of their respective contracts, its been reported that the Twins want to retain Nathan after reworking his deal.
Still, for the moment, Nathan is a free agent. Nathan is the Twins all-time leader in saves with 260. Last year, after a rough start, he won back his job and converted 14 of 17 save opportunities. His fastball also regularly topped out in the low 90s. Those are the positives. The negatives: Hes about to turn 37 and he has recorded just one season since undergoing Tommy John surgery.
If the Phils arent able to re-sign Madson, Nathan wouldnt be a bad replacement provided hed be open to a short-term deal. Even then, how comfortable would the Philsand the fansbe with relying on an aging closer whose elbow was recently rebuilt?
E-mail John Gonzalez at jgonzalez@comcastsportsnet.com