It’s possible the Nationals will wade into the trade waters before Major League Baseball’s July 31 deadline. Every team can use some help, after all — even one with a comfortable lead heading into the second half of the season. But a blockbuster move? That’s hard to imagine given the state of the team, the current construction of the roster and the relative lack of benefits to trading for another starting pitcher.
We don’t know exactly when ace pitcher Stephen Strasburg will be shut down. His innings limit is somewhere between 160 and 170 innings. But if we assume six innings per start and add that to his current 99 innings, Strasburg would be finished somewhere around Sept. 12 if the front office lets him get toward the high end of that limit. So it’s possible they need to replace him for just three starts and — at best — 30 to 35 innings in the playoffs. Is that worth trading more assets for a mere rental like Milwaukee’s Zack Greinke? Doesn’t seem like it.
A trio of Jordan Zimmermann, Gio Gonzalez and Edwin Jackson in the postseason seems as good a bet as any to win given the capricious nature of October baseball. And both Chien-Ming Wang and even John Lannan — still stashed at Triple-A Syracuse and with three sub-4.00 ERAs in four seasons — are available to pick up extra work if needed.
Now let’s look at other areas of the roster. The center fielders long rumored to be coming to the District — B.J. Upton, Denard Span — are free agents at the end of the season anyway. Why bother acquiring one of them if rookie Bryce Harper is holding the fort and Jayson Werth (broken wrist) is expected back by early August? Michael Morse needs a place to play with Adam LaRoche leading the teams in RBIs (53) at first base. And Drew Storen is on the way sometime next week to help the league’s seventh-ranked bullpen, already a team strength. For once, standing pat in the face of the trade deadline might not be such a bad idea for general manager Mike Rizzo.
– Brian McNally
