The Nationals could be sellers at the trade deadline, but if the team climbs out of last place and improves upon its 32-39 record, they could become buyers. GM Mike Rizzo told reporters, including Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post, that the Nats front office remains flexible as the deadline approaches.
"If there's a good deal to be made to acquire talent, we'll acquire it," Rizzo said. "There's no marching orders to dump payroll or to add payroll.”
Rizzo, who says he is always looking to make a deal that helps the team long-term, identified starting pitching as the Nationals’ biggest need. If the team becomes a seller, players such as Livan Hernandez, Matt Capps and Adam Dunn could interest other teams.
But Rizzo says the club likes Dunn offensively and defensively, so the Nationals continue looking into an extension with the slugging first baseman. Dunn’s two-year $20MM deal expires after the season and the two sides have been discussing an extension since the spring.
I was about to quip about Dunn’s defense, but a quick lookup shows he’s only at -1.5 this year for first base. Needless to say, that’s amazing for him.
Yeah, he’s been really solid defensively this season. Saved Zimmerman quite a few times.
Yeah, he seems to have adjusted to 1b pretty well. Plus, helps him save his legs for hazing rookie catchers
Please sell Josh Willingham to the Giants :)
Knowing the Nationals, they would ask for young pitching in return, and that would require Bumgartner(who the Giants wouldn’t trade), Wheeler, or Runzler, and probably one of their young field prospects like Kieschnick. Josh is second in the league in OBS I believe and there’s no way the Nats would trade him for peanuts.
To be honest, it seems like Rizzo and Co. actually like him. I don’t think he’ll get moved unless it’s for some damn good prospects.
i really hope they can play well enough to become buyers and only sell if it benefits the club at the major league level this year. If not, no need to sell just for the sake of selling so i like the way rizzo is approaching the situation.
Capps is the guy who simply must be sold. He’s slated to be a Type B guy right now. He doesn’t walk people but he seems to be somewhat hittable. Flip him into a B-/B prospect with some potential because they have Clippard and Storen coming up in the wings as possible closer options.
The upper minors for the Nats are pretty barren of high end prospects outside of Derek Norris (who is only in high A) and Danny Espinosa in Harrrisburg. Some believe in Marrero, but I do not think his bat plays at 1B and I don’t think his defense plays anywhere else. The Braves have more MLB close guys ready to help there team, which is already significantly ahead of the Nats.
You sign a guy like Capps in the hopes that you can rehabiliate him, inflate his value by using him a closer, and flipping him for something decent around the deadline.
Matt Capps to Yankees!?