Last night, lost amongst the potentially tragic news concerning Nationals’ starter Stephen Strasburg, I began to wonder why Yusmeiro Petit did not pitch – after all, a starter leaving abruptly in the 3^rd inning and the bullpen needing to cover multiple innings is precisely the reason Petit was signed last offseason.  Without question the expanded September roster alters bullpen roles, but Petit has not pitched since August 27^th, leaving one to ponder what his role might be, if any, in the playoffs and into next season.

The nearly 32-year-old Petit has pitched sufficiently for Washington this season in long relief, posting a 3.99 ERA with 60 hits and 13 walks allowed against 45 strikeouts in 58.2 innings.  It has been a a tale of two seasons for Petit, who posted a 2.62 ERA and .684 OPS against in the 1^st half verses an 8.36 ERA with a .977 OPS against in the 2^nd half.  Some of this can be explained by situations calling for him to “wear it” to save the bullpen, but Petit has struggled recently to limit home runs (1.69 HR/9) and hard contact.

Last December Washington signed Petit to a 1-year $2.5 million contract, with a team option for $3 million in 2017 or a $500,000 buyout.  Essentially the Nationals must decide if Petit is worth $2.5 million in 2017 and even more specifically, if he is worth $2 million more than cheaper options like A.J. Cole, Sammy Solis and others already on the 40-man roster.  But even before this decision is made, Washington must decide if Petit will be a part of their 25-man playoff roster.
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During the playoffs, due to the number of off days, teams often will reconfigure their pitching staff to have only 3 starters in the opening 5-game series and 4 starters in the 7-game series.  This allows managers to either add another hitter to supplement his bench or an 8^th (or 9^th) man in the bullpen.  5 bullpen positions seem presently spoken for, as Mark Melancon, Blake Treinen, Shawn Kelley, Koda Glover and Marc Rzepczynski are locks.  Veterans Matt Belisle and Oliver Perez are also likely to also make the roster.  This leaves only 1 or 2 spots available and pitchers like Sean Burnett, A.J. Cole, Lucas Giolito, Matt Grace, Trevor Gott, Mat Latos, Reynaldo Lopez, Joe Ross and Rafael Martin competing with Petit.  His biggest strength, Petit’s ability to pitch multiple innings, is not quite as valuable in October and Washington could prefer someone with different skills.

Assuming he is not injured, it feels safe to assume manager Dusty Baker has lost confidence in Petit, as he has not pitched in 10+ days and last night’s game provided a tailor-made scenario for him to appear.  Therefore, unless the Nationals’ go with a 9-man bullpen and Joe Ross is unable to return, it seems unlikely Petit makes the roster.  And if Petit is indeed bumped, it is difficult to see Washington deciding to bring him back next season, likely preferring to use the $2 million to bolster an offer to a closer or left-handed relief ace.

Overlooked during Strasburg’s early exit Wednesday, the team unintentionally unveiled part of their offseason plans, and it appears Yusmeiro Petit is on the outside looking in.