Deadline passes in silence, but August could be hot

Meet the new Nats. Same as the old Nats.

That the non-waiver trading deadline came and went without the Nationals’ participation should have been no surprise. There was considerable interest in closer Chad Cordero from several clubs, including Detroit, Boston, Cleveland, and towards the end, Arizona and the Dodgers, but GM Jim Bowden’s asking price was typically inflated. One National League executive I spoke with called dealing with Bowden “about as much fun as a root canal.”