but happy we’re getting a pretty decent and cheap reliever in return.

So does Rauch close or setup? What will the pecking order be?
vr, Xeifrank

Bonifacio, but still satisfied with the bullpen help

Bonifacio really fits the mold of the Nationals organization.

this might be the thing to set us up to succeed again. The offense has slowly started to rouse from it’s slumber and if only the bullpen could hold a lead we’d be in damn good shape. thoughts?

If not, not ok.

especially within the context of our current injury woes :thup:

...for tiding it up and promoting it. I rushed the fanpost since I popped my cherry with the newsbreak. Sorry, I’m tearing up here. Big day for me.

Bottom Line: I LOVE this deal. Bonafacio is legit. .302/.338/.360 in six minor league seasons. 229 total stolen bases with a 78% success rate. He plays a gold-glove caliber second base. And he’s only 23. He immediately becomes the Nats best hitting prospect not onthe major league roster. Getting this kind of return for a run-of-the-mill set-up guy in Rauch is a coup.

Granted, Rauch pitched admirably this season in the closer’s role, but closing is all about opportunity, and he’s still the same guy that would have been settingup Cordero had Cordero not been injured. In fact, it’s the same kind of deal Bowden SHOULD have made for Cordero last season!

Ummm, who wants to break the bad news to them? ;)

Assuming we send down one of the Tucson bullpen to make way for Rauch, we will have to promote someone to take Bonifacio’s place. D’Antona, maybe? Or do we go with an extra man in the pen for a bit?

I was just thinking last night, “Our bats are waking up a little. I still think we need one more bat. Our starters have been lights out lately except for Owings. What has really failed us is our bullpen. How many games have they lost for us this year?”

I am overall happy to get another good arm in the pen. If we get on OF bat I think we will still beat out the Dodgers and be a threat in the Post season.

Great trade! Who’d we get?

you have the chance to get a 6’11, one biscut away from 300 lbs., gold medal winner, with a neck tatoo. Well…..that’s just a move you have to make and its as simple as that.

Looking forward to the Raunch era and I like the move.

In Josh Byrnes secret plan to align the bullpen members with letters of the alphabet:

Pena
Qualls
Rauch
Scherzer

Expect trades for Ron Mahay, Joe Nathan and Hideki Okajima shortly…

I was never really a big fan of E-Bone, since his offensive skills don’t really add all that much to what we already have. Makes me wonder who’ll be at second base next year though. I don’t want to re-sign a declining O-Dawg. All though that could be the most likely answer. Maybe they’ll give Rusty a shot there next year if they don’t bring someone else in.

Anyway, the bullpen did need some improvement, and this does it. Now if only he was a lefty….

he casually joined his Nat’s teammates before Josh even put down the phone. We may never see the likes of his singular talent again – without the aid of stop action photography.

So you guys are ready to drop Lyon in favor of Rauch as the closer?

I wasn’t ready to drop Chad Cordero for Rauch until Cordero’s arm nearly fell off…but Rauch was effective in his time closing the few opportunities he had…(if you consider 17 of 22 effective)....Rauch doesn’t really walk anyone 7 in 48.1 IP, and it’s fun watching a curve drop from 10 feet in the air…

Don’t know much about Bonifacio though…Can anyone share a scouting report? I gather from the comments above that you all are happy with the trade?

Thanks in advance for any responses/reports…

Can’t add much. Just when I was losing confidence in the FO they pull this off. It’s a great movie, I think. And what is remarkable is that it’s not just a great move for this year, but also for the next couple of years. Well done Byrnes.

Anytime we can add a player who’s taller than I am, I have no complaints.