Jon Rauch Tagged As Joe Nathan’s Replacement

Not too long ago, Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said he would employ a closer-by-committee approach with Joe Nathan out for the season. Now he’s gone and taken it back:

The 6’11 Rauch certainly has a closer’s presence, and the righty is capable of getting his fastball up into the mid-90s. Last year, however, his strikeout rate dropped to its lowest level since 2004, while his walks climbed up, so it’s safe to say his grip on the closer’s role will be tenuous until or unless he establishes himself. He’ll be supported by Matt Guerrier, Jose Mijares, and Jesse Crain, and it’s possible - if not probable - that the Twins will continue exploring external options.

It probably won’t come as much of a surprise, but that medical miracle Joe Nathan and the Twins were hoping for didn’t happen. As MLB.com reports, after a game of catch to test the elbow went predictably poorly, Nathan made the final decision to go under the knife:

Tragic, really, but at the very least everybody’s had a couple weeks to prepare themselves for this day. It’s the going forward part that’s going to be rougher, though. The Twins don’t have any evident great options at closer at this point, and the USA Today says their only hope may be a lousy trade in which they give up prospects for someone mediocre, like Scott Frasor. Oof.

As Joe Nathan prepares to head to Minnesota for MRIs on his right elbow, the talk surrounding his tightness from yesterday has focused on relatively minor issues. The Star-Tribune explains:

This, obviously, would be the ideal scenario for Nathan and the Twins; even a completely clean MRI would be worse, as it would leave no explanation for the discomfort Nathan was feeling.