JOE NATHAN RUMORS & GOSSIP

Joe Nathan has always been one of my favorite baseball players. I think it has something to do with the fact that he didn’t establish himself until he was in his late twenties. For some reason, I always seem to like players who don’t follow the conventional top prospect route to becoming a solid major league player. Go figure. A converted shortstop a la Trevor Hoffman, Nathan...

MINNEAPOLIS Now that Joe Nathan has officially signed with the Texas Rangers, the search for a new closer is under way for the Minnesota Twins. "We're going to look at the market and look at the possibility of trades any avenue, actually," Twins general manager Terry Ryan said Tuesday. "But there's plenty of people out there in that market this year. It...

The Red Sox are looking for a new closer now that Jonathan Papelbon has left for Philadelphia. Apparently, the team wasn't looking too hard at Joe Nathan. The Sox had spoken to Nathan but never officially made him an offer, according to WEEI.com. That would suggest then that the team isn't all too bummed out that Nathan agreed to a two-year, $14.5 million deal with the Texas...

The Rangers made a big splash in free agency by signing former Twins closer Joe Nathan to a 2-year deal for $7 million per year which includes a $9 million option. The question is: was it worth the risk?

The Texas Rangers have taken steps to solidify their pitching staff by agreeing to terms with veteran closer Joe Nathan and informing Neftali Feliz he'll be used as a starter in 2012. The Nathan deal is a two-year contract with the team holding an option for 2014. The deal is worth 14.5 million. Nathan, who turns 37 Tuesday, started the 2011 season as the closer for the Minnesota...

Joe Nathan has signed with the Texas Rangers, according to multiple reports.Nathan spent seven seasons as the closer for the Minnesota Twins. The 36-year-old right-hander became a free agent following the 2011 season, and is now on his way to Texas.The signing, a two-year deal, was first reported by MLB.coms T.R. Sullivan and confirmed by FOX Sports Ken Rosenthal. Rosenthal also...

Joe Nathan told reporters during a ceremony for the dedication of the baseball field which will bear his name at Stony Brook University in New York that the Mets “are going to be on my radar”. Seeing as this was in New York and covered by local reporters, it is only natural that the question regarding the Mets’ closer vacancy comes up. I do believe that his answer is more...

Earlier today, we learned that the Minnesota Twins declined their $12 million option on Joe Nathan, and according to Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated, the right hander is excited about free agency. Nathan's agent Dave Pepe said that his client is looking for a closer job, not setup, for 2012. The veteran closer was 2-1 with a 4.84 ERA and 14 saves in 44.2 innings throughout 48 relieving...

Minnesota Twins' relief pitcher Joe Nathan is open-minded about a trade if the right scenario comes up. “It's something I would consider,” said Nathan, as reported by Phil Mackey of 1500ESPN.com. “It's not something I would rule out.” Nathan recently accumulated enough service time this season to become a “10-and-five” player.  This means that Nathan has 10 years of...

After Joe Nathan scuffled badly the last several outings and blew the save in Satruday’s game, Ron Gardenhire has made the decision to give the ball to Matt Capps in the ninth inning and let Nathan pitch in some less stressful situation. Gardy has said he won’t use Nathan as a setup man at this point either, creating another whole the Twins need to fill. It even sounds...