PITTSBURGH – The Washington Nationals moved Matt Capps to the Minnesota Twins after less than four months today, when they effectively set the price for mid-level closers in the trade market.

In return, the Nationals received catcher Wilson Ramos, a 22-year-old minor league prospect. They also dumped nearly $7.5 million in salary for this season and the next one, which was no small consideration in the move. 

The Pirates should be able to as well if they choose to move Octavio Dotel before the 4 o'clock (Eastern) deadline on Saturday afternoon.

Capps put up good numbers this season – 26 saves in 30 chances, 2.74 earned run average. At 36, Dotel is 10 years older, but he may be the better alternative for a contender this season. Dotel fared significantly better in the areas that define closer dominance: hits per inning (7.9-10.0), strikeouts per inning (10.8-7.4) and opponent batting average (.236-.274). He saved 21 games in 26 chances with a 4.28 ERA. He also has American League experience.

Reports are mostly favorable on Ramos at this stage. Prior to the season, Baseball America ranked him as the 58th best prospect in baseball. The kid has struggled at Rochester this season, his first season at the Triple A level, where he has five home runs and 30 RBI in 71 games. His batting average (.241) and on-base percentage (.280) were well below average.

Most impressive stat: He threw out 19 of 38 runners on stolen base attempts.

As for Dotel, who is under contract for next season, it’s no secret that several teams asked about him in recent days. If the Pirates don’t get their price in the next few hours, they can wait until the off-season, when they have a chance to do better.