The trade deadline looms E-mail
Written by William Yoder   
Thursday, 23 July 2009 13:42

For the last several years the Washington Nationals have been in a position to sell at the trade deadline, and have held firm.

Some may say this decision was admirable, some may say it was stupid.

Regardless of your belief on the matter, the possibility remains that the Nationals will be dealing several key players in their roster to prepare the future.

Who may be dealt?

Nick Johnson
nick-johnson 

Nick Johnson is in the last year of a three-year, $16.5 million contract. At the age of 30, going on 31, Johnson is probably at the peak of his career and has a lot to offer competing Major League teams. Most notably, Johnson can provide solid defense and a very strong bat at first base. The lefty is batting .305 this season but more importantly is getting on base at .415.
 

The Nationals should trade Johnson because it makes no sense for them to resign him at
the end of the year. As a solid Major League veteran he has value and the Nationals would be wise to get something for that value rather than lose it at the end of the year. Furthermore the Nationals have been extremely lucky as Nick Johnson has been unusually healthy this year. The Nats should move Johnson, get prospects,  and clear the path at first base for either Chris Marrero or Derek Norris.

Teams who may target him: Mets, Phillies, Giants, Redsox

Willie Harris
capt.c972ff28359f4e8cb916b8b652ef77a4.cubs_nationals_baseball_nat103 

Willie Harris is a versatile and consistent player that can help any team at the Major League level. At the age of 31 his speed for base stealing is essentially gone and his best asset is his glove that he can provide both in the outfield and in the infield.

The Nationals should trade Harris because his value will only go down between now and when his contract runs up at the end of 2010. With the edition of Morgan in centerfield, Harris is essentially useless to the Nationals and they could trade him to a club that could benefit from his versatility and veteran presence.

Teams who may target him: Phillies, Twins, Angels

Josh Willingham
r1306296135 

Willingham was put in a situation to fail when he came to Washington. He joined an outfield that already had Austin Kearns, Elijah Dukes, Lastings Milledge, Wily Mo Pena, and Adam Dunn. Willingham wasn’t happy, and found it hard to find playing time early. However as the mirage prospect status of Dukes and Milledge wore off, and the 2008 batting woes of Mo Pena and Kearns continued, Willingham soon found himself in the everyday line up. After sticking it out Willingham is now one of the Nationals top hitters, batting .297/.415/.569 with 13 home runs and 18 doubles in only 71 games.

The Nationals should trade Willingham because at the age of 30 he will be a free agent this offseason. If he continues this streak he will be a very high priced free agent, and if he doesn’t than there is no point in having him on the team anyways. The best value the Nationals can get out of Willingham this season is to trade him and capitalize on his hot hitting. If they really want him next year, they can resign him in the offseason.

Teams who may target him: Cardinals, Giants, Red Sox, Phillies

Comments (4)Add Comment
...
written by fishtoprecords, July 24, 2009
I assume you didn't mention Kerns because there is zero interest.

Why not trade Dunn to an AL team? He's got great power, but belongs as a DH somewhere.
...
written by YardYoder, July 24, 2009
It's a good idea, he's having a good year, and has mroe value this year than he will next.

Kaston said he wont trade him though.
...
written by estuartj, July 24, 2009
Willingham isn't a free agent this year, Florida traded him because he was up for arbitration (and a big raise) this past off season. He is under team control for 2 more year.

I say trade Johnson, move Dunn to 1B and Willingham to left field. Recall Elijah Dukes (ops of 1.1! in Syr) to start in RF.

I'd also trade Guzman if any takers can be found, despite his .290+ avg his obp and slg suck and his range is declining fast. IMO he will be dead weight by next year (at $8mil!).
...
written by fishtoprecords, July 25, 2009
Guzman's range is declining? Impossible, it was already well under one step. Guz is a disaster at SS.

Write comment

busy
< Prev   Next >
 

Follow The Nats Blog

fbtwitter_64rss_64snapshot_2009-08-21_14-01-53
baseballdebatetag

Great Baseball Reading

Hardball Times
Baseball Prospectus
Baseball Digest Daily
Wezen-Ball
Seam Heads
Sweet Spot (By Rob Neyer)
Fan Graphs
Beyond the Box Score
The Daily Something
Baseball Mustings
Sabernomics

Search The Nats Blog

About Bloguin

Bloguin is the revolutionary blog network specifically focused on helping bloggers get the most out of their websites. We're currently working on building a large network of online communities and hope to expand our blogging coverage to include a wide range of topics.

Advertisers

The Bloguin Network allows advertisers to promote their products and services to our ever-growing number of visitors. We offer both site-specific ad placements as well as the ability to run a network-wide campaign. If you're interested in working with Bloguin to meet your advertising needs, please contact us.

Bloggers Wanted

The Bloguin Network is always looking to expand. We're specifically looking for blogs in the sports, entertainment, and video games field, but are open to adding any type of quality site.. If you're a blogger and interested in joining our network, please fill out our application form.

The Bloguin Login

The Bloguin Login gives you full access to everything our network has to offer. Your name and password will work for each and every one of our sites. Signing up is simple, and will allow you to post in all our forums, create member blogs, and access other cool features! What are you waiting for? Create an Account!