The need for more talent is obvious. The need to keep the talent here is equally clear. And short of a heist, the Nationals should withstand the desire to trade players such as Adam Dunn, Josh Willingham and Ivan Rodriguez.
Only a year ago, we advocated trading players to get more talent in the system. But the arrival of Stephen Strasburg, the drafting of Bryce Harper and the need to make this franchise relevant have combined to keep players on the field who are worth a darn.
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“This team is on the verge,” said ESPN baseball analyst Aaron Boone, whose dad is a Nats assistant general manager, so take this with a grain of you know what. “They’re in position to start becoming relevant in the National League East. They’ll have staying power.
“I would be open to trading any of those guys, but the price has to be right. But they’re in a position to start locking some of those guys up with the fruit starting to come from the system.”
Reports surfaced Wednesday about the White Sox increasing their interest in Dunn. More rumors will arise between now and the July 31 trade deadline.
ESPN analyst and former manager Bobby Valentine said he would trade any of these players if they got quality in return. Problem is, that “quality” likely would not surface for another few years. The Nats need to stay relevant now. Besides, we doubt they would receive that much in return. Let these players serve as the bridge to the future; trading them might only serve to burn that bridge.
