Report: Nats owners scuttled offseason deals for Holland, Robertson

If not for meddling ownership, perhaps the Washington Nationals' bullpen woes would have already been solved.

Sources with knowledge of the situation told Barry Svrluga of the Washington Post on Wednesday that the Nationals had two deals in place to add established closers this offseason: a free-agent contract with Greg Holland, and a trade with the Chicago White Sox for David Robertson. Both transactions, however, were reportedly blocked by longtime owners, the Lerner family, despite apparently being agreed upon, according to Svrluga's sources.

Had the Nationals completed either of those deals, their season - so far marred by their struggling bullpen - would likely look very different at the moment.

Holland, who missed all of 2016 after undergoing Tommy John surgery, took a one-year, $7-million deal from the Rockies and immediately re-established himself as an All-Star closer. He leads all relievers in saves (23) and games finished (25), while owning a minuscule 5 percent home run/fly ball rate despite pitching in Denver.

Robertson, while not nearly as dominant as Holland, has rebounded after a down year in 2016 and owns a 0.86 WHIP while averaging 12.7 strikeouts per nine innings. In May, it was revealed that the apparently agreed-upon deal to send Robertson to the nation's capital in February fell through because of financials - specifically, how much of the $25 million left on his deal would have been paid by the White Sox.

The Lerner family, who bought the Nationals in 2006, have not been averse to opening their checkbooks on occasion. Since 2011, they've handed deals exceeding $100 million to Ryan Zimmerman, Stephen Strasburg, and Jayson Werth, while Max Scherzer got $210 million in 2015; Daniel Murphy and Matt Wieters also received lucrative contracts from the club as free agents.

But, with the possible exception of one January report that suggested the Lerners would have been willing to hand Kenley Jansen an $80-million deal this winter under a "special circumstance" (Jansen ultimately returned to Los Angeles), money appears to be getting in the way of the otherwise dominant Nats owning a functional bullpen - an Achilles' heel that's hurting them now, and could cause even more pain come October.

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This season, Washington's relief unit owns an NL-worst 5.02 ERA, while allowing a league-high 1.62 home runs per nine innings and blowing 11 save opportunities. Only one reliever - journeyman Matt Albers - has an ERA below 3.50 and a WHIP below 1.20; none - including early-season closer Koda Glover, who's now injured - has saved more than eight games individually.

General manager Mike Rizzo has apparently been scouring the market for a solution for some time, as an April report linked the Nationals to Kansas City Royals stopper Kelvin Herrera.

Besides missing on Robertson and Holland this winter, Washington also came up empty in pursuit of free agents Jansen and Aroldis Chapman, while Mark Melancon - acquired in a deadline trade last summer - left the club for a $60-million contract in San Francisco.

The Nationals have not won a playoff series in three tries since moving to Washington in 2005, while the franchise's lone series win came as the Montreal Expos in 1981. Washington, D.C., has not seen a World Series champion since the first iteration of the Senators won in 1924.