Joe Nathan isn't done with baseball just yet.
The Twins' all-time saves leader, who turned 42 this fall, signed a minor-league deal with Washington on Tuesday. It includes an invitation to Big League camp, with pitchers and catchers reporting to West Palm Beach on Valentine's Day.
In his prime, Nathan went to four All-Star Games and amassed 260 saves with the Twins from 2004-11. His 377 career saves with the Twins, Giants, Rangers and Tigers rank eighth all-time in Major League Baseball, just 13 behind Hall of Famer Dennis Eckersley.
In 2006, Star Tribune columnist Patrick Reusse lauded Nathan's "domination" and knack for first-strike curveballs as the Twins prepared for the playoffs. By 2008, Reusse invited Nathan to the table for his Turkey of the Year column with this suggestion: "throw more strikes."
And yet, as we set to begin the ninth baseball season since then Nathan still has enough gas to catch the eye of Major League teams.
One has to figure this is Nathan's last go. He's on the wrong side of 40, made just 11 appearances the past two seasons and twice had Tommy John surgery on his right elbow.
But, the Nationals are in desperate need of relief pitching and this is a safe move. If Nathan finds something that clicks - he's a cheap signing. If not, he's let go.
So far, fans aren't buying it. One Nationals fan compared Nathan's greying appearance to "a wrung out Brett Favre."
The Twins, by the way, play Washington twice in spring training: In Fort Myers on Feb. 28 and in West Palm Beach on March 5.
