Nationals Interested In Carl Crawford

The Nationals have "strong organizational interest" in Carl Crawford, reports MASN's Ben Goessling.  The Rays' left fielder will be eligible for free agency as a 29-year-old this offseason.

Goessling's blog post speculates on the look of the Nationals' outfield next year.  They seem to have Josh Willingham locked in as the left fielder, and Goessling says there's some sentiment to trying Roger Bernadina as the regular center fielder and using Nyjer Morgan in a utility role.  Michael Morse also merits consideration – he's raked in 126 plate appearances this year.

Crawford has never played right field in his career, though Willingham played a decent amount last year and could theoretically shift over.  Crawford also hasn't dabbled much in center field since 2004, and it's hard to picture him changing positions now that he gets to pick his next team.

It being August and all, the market for Crawford has yet to take shape.  Last week MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith named more than a dozen clubs that could pursue the speedy left fielder, including the Nationals.