Joe Nathan had a career high 47 saves with the Minnesota Twins last season, earning himself an ERA of 2.10. He met with Twins manager Ron Gerdenhire and GM Bill Smith on Tuesday morning to discuss the ulnar collateral ligament tear in his right elbow that he was recently diagnosed with.
The team announced that Nathan does have a “significant tear,” but they also made it clear that he will not rush directly into surgery, and hopes to salvage the season with rehab.
If Nathan is out for the season, however, the Twins will have lost one of the best closers in baseball. Nathan has had six straight seasons with at least 36 saves and a career ERA of 2.75.
Jon Rauch has the most experience closing of anyone in the Minnesota bullpen and will likely take over for Nathan as the closer. The towering righty that hovers just under seven feet tall has 26 career saves and an ERA of 3.60.
Another possible candidate could be Matt Guerrier, who had 33 holds as a reliever in 79 appearances. The righty earned an ERA of 2.36 and a record of 5-1.
Although the Twins are losing a great player in Nathan, they have several solid backups that should be suitable for the closing spot, and the organization should not suffer all too much from the loss.
