The bad news is the same: the Washington Nationals’ great collapsible bullpen continues to collapse. Less than twenty-four hours after Manny Acta announced that Joel Hanrahan would return as the team’s closer, Hanrahan gave up three runs in the ninth inning against the Buccos. In truth, it’s hard to disagree with Manny’s decision on Hanrahan: after all, who else is there?

The Nats bullpen has reached a point of near historic futility — though they were once considered one of the top bullpens in major league baseball. Back in 2008, one writer ranked them among the top ten, with Cordero, Rauch and Ayala the primary reasons. You have probably noticed: they’re all gone. The loss of these three horses from 2008 is sufficient reason for the great collapse, coupled with the front office’s off-season inability to sign any effective late-inning arms. Or maybe it wasn’t inability — maybe it was lack of concentration. So, just how bad is the Nats bullpen?

They’re the worst. According to statistics kept by the MLB, the Nats rank last in bullpen effectiveness — guaged by ERA. Their ERA is 6.71 in late-inning work. The next worst is not even close: the Belinskis 6.21 late-inning ERA ranks 29th. If the trend continues, they could be the worst ever. Opponents are hitting nearly .300 against the NATS in late-innings, and the ballclub leads the majors in late-inning walks.  Tom Boswell had this to say, just yesterday: “Until you have a ‘pen that can hold a lead and a starting rotation that does not include Daniel Cabrera and Scott Olsen, who’ve allowed 75 runs in 80 1/3 innings (the Nats are 1-14 in their starts), what you have is a fan’s nightmare.”

Boswell has some recommendations: get rid of Cabrera, eat contracts of pitchers that haven’t worked out (Scott Olsen is a DL return away from an outright release), promote the club’s young starters and allow the oldsters in the bullpen to teach the youngsters how to pitch. Will it work? Probably not. Nor, it seems, is there any relief (so to speak) in sight. The Nats might trade for bullpen help, but you have to believe that if there is anyone available the Belinskis would have found them. Then too, the Nats’ trade bait is Austin Kearns, now hitting .216.

There’s another possibility, of course, and that is that the Nats swing a deal with the Mets for Nick Johnson. The Mets are in the market for a first baseman, the result of a team  announcement that Carlos Delgado would undergoe hip surgery. Delgado will be out until at least the all star break, and maybe longer. The Mets are sniffing around for a way to replace Delgado and a trade with the Nats for Nick Johnson is an option. Perhaps. The New York Post has weighed in on the possibility, mentioning Johnson’s contract ($5.5 million) as an attractive alternative to taking on the contract of either Todd Helton or Paul Konerko.

The Mets have bullpen arms to give in exchange and the Nats could use someone like Pedro Feliciano or Brian Stokes — or both. But the Mets would have to be pretty desperate to part with them, particularly given Johnson’s injury history. Asking the Mets to trade away the most lively arms in the best bullpen in baseball (at least this year) is asking alot. If I were the Nats I would do it in a heartbeat, if I were the Mets I wouldn’t.