Nationals trade rumors: Drew Storen likely on the block this winter

Nationals' reliever Drew Storen will "almost certainly" get the trade that "he wants" this winter, according to a report from Thomas Boswell of the Washington Post. Speculation about Storen's future with the team increased in the wake of July's non-waiver trade deadline, when the Nationals demoted Storen to their setup role to make room for All-Star closer Jonathan Papelbon.

Storen has struggled mightily in his new role, posting a 10.24 ERA in ten appearances in August and expressing public frustration about the addition of Papelbon. He still holds a 3.38 ERA for the season due to his stellar start to the season, when he saved 29 games in 32 opportunities.

Storen will likely draw interest from many teams looking for back-end bullpen help this winter, and will be in demand due to the weak crop of free-agent closers (Joakim Soria and, potentially, Joaquin Benoit). The 28-year old is controllable through the 2016 season and will head to arbitration for the third time at some point this offseason after earning $5.7 million in 2015.