Profile: Brad “Lights Out,” Lidge is a ten year veteran who closed out a World Series title for the Phillies in 2008. Over the course of his career, he has played for only the Astros and Phillies, reaching the World Series with both teams. Although Lidge comes to the Nationals at the tail end of his career, he still has enough left in the tank to be an effective set up man for closer Drew Storen. When Lidge was in his prime, he had some great seasons, including a perfect 41 saves in 41 opportunities season during the Phillies run to a world championship. Brad also has the distinction of having the highest strikeouts per nine innings ratio (11.95 K/9) of any player with over 200 appearances. What he brings to the Nats is veteran leadership and experience winning at a high level. But unlike DeRosa, he won’t just bring intangible value to the team, he should also produce on the mound. Last season in limited action for the Phillies, he posted a 1.40, striking out 23 in 19 innings. Lidge should also be motivated considering he wasen’t able to get anything more than the one year $1.5 million contract he was offered by the Nats, to spite being just a few years removed from being one of the best closers in the game. I expect Lidge to see some time this year splitting set up duties with Henry Rodriguez and Tyler Clippard, assuming he can stay healthy.  Read more...