Nationals decline contract options on Nate McLouth, Casey Janssen

The Washington Nationals have declined contract options on outfielder Nate McLouth and reliever Casey Janssen for the 2016 season.

The options would have paid McLouth $6.5 million and Janssen $7 million, respectively. Instead, the team elected to give the players buyouts totaling $2.25 million. The pair join six other Nationals entering the free agent market this winter, a group that includes starters Jordan Zimmermann and Doug Fister.

McLouth missed all of the 2015 season after shoulder surgery, so declining the option for the 34-year-old was an easy decision for Washington. He hit just .173/.280/.237 with a home run and four steals in just 139 at bats in 2014, his lone season with the Nationals, making the $10.75 million deal he signed with the Nationals after the 2013 season essentially a sunk cost for the team.

Unlike McLouth, Janssen at least saw the field this season, his only season with the Nationals. He made 48 appearances, posting a 4.95 ERA and 1.15 WHIP in 40 innings of work, walking eight and striking out 27. The 2015 season represented a regression for Janssen, who had spent the previous three years as Toronto's primary closer, with a 2.94 ERA and 81 saves in 162 innings of work. His $1.5 million buyout means that the Nationals will wind up paying him $5 million for those 40 innings of below-average relief work.

Given McLouth's age and declining production, he will likely have to settle for a minor-league deal this offseason, perhaps one with a major league option. Janssen, however, could be looked at as a cheap bullpen option for a team looking to round out its relief corps.