It is well known that the Washington Nationals to want fight soonbut are they ready to open their wallets to do this?

Jim Bowden Athletics recently did its roundup of the top free agents available this offseason and, surprisingly, the Nationals were connected to San Diego Padres Tanner Scott flamethrower.

“Scott will be the best high-leverage left-handed reliever on the free agent market. He can be deployed at any time and in any role – closer, set-up, matchup – to strike out left-handed or right-handed hitters . ” Bowden said. “He had a banner year, posting a 1.75 ERA in 72 appearances with 22 saves. Batters hit .134 against his four-seam fastball and .231 against his fade slider.”

The reliever is also expected to land a sizable four-year, $60 million contract in free agency. That would almost double the second-highest contract on their books, which is actually their current closest (although it’s still not as much as Stephen Strasburg is projected to be).

Kyle Finnegan played the final role for the Nationals last season and did well enough to not be a huge red flag that needed to be replaced in free agency.

In fact, Finnegan only pitched well in save situations a year ago.

Over the course of 22 non-save appearances, he posted a 7.08 ERA and walked 11 batters to just 22 strikeouts. In 43 save chances, he had a 2.08 ERA and 38 saves with 13 walks and 38 strikeouts.

He’s under contract for another season, so picking up another closer would be a bit of a headache, especially when the guy you played so well in the role.

The biggest argument to make would be that you could use Scott the same way the Padres did. Have him be an elite setup guy for Finnegan this season, then switch roles next offseason.

There is no a lot priority for paying $15 million to an installer, the Houston Astros There are three separate relievers currently making at least $11.5 million.

Another option would be to hand the keys to the closest role to Scott, then swap Finnegan for rental to another competitor. Adding more assets elsewhere while getting a longer-term upgrade into a significant role in the bullpen.

At the end, if they really want to fightthey should probably bring in a guy as talented as Scott if the opportunity presents itself. Find out the details later.