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In what’s being praised as a completely non-Bowden-esque move, Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo pulled the trigger and dealt All-Star closer Matt Capps to the Minnesota Twins for highly rated catching prospect Wilson Ramos last night. The addition of Capps prior to this season has been a big reason for the Nats’ improvement over 2009, back when every call to the bullpen was an adventure. Thankfully, the bullpen as a whole is performing better this year, which likely made trading Capps easier. So what of Ramos? He made a decent showing in a brief big league stint earlier this year, but isn’t exactly lighting up Triple-A pitching. Catcher is an important position to solidify, and the Nats are hoping that Ramos is the long-term solution once Pudge Rodriguez rides into the sunset. Where does the move leave the bullpen, though?

Three words that should never be used in the same sentence are “closer,” “by,” and “committee,” but that’s exactly what manager Jim Riggleman wants to do. Riggleman should take a lesson from the middle infield debacle this year and stop trying to spread the wealth. Pick a guy, define roles, and go with it. Joel Peralta is pitching solidly, Drew Storen is the supposed heir to the throne, and Tyler Clippard makes innings a little too complicated. Any one of these guys deserves the shot to be The Man. (Storen, please.)