If the rumors and reports are to be believed, the Washington Nationals have arrived at this year’s Winter Meetings, conveniently located seven miles from Nats Park, with more urgency than any other team.
In the last few days, Washington has been linked to all sorts of big-name players, most notably Andrew McCutchen and Chris Sale. And while the McCutchen talks seem to have stalled (for understandable reasons), Washington is still hot on the pursuit of Sale, the White Sox’s dominant lefty ace.
The #Whitesox did not come close to trading Chris Sale tonight but acknowledge the #Nats were very aggressive in proposals
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) December 6, 2016
Nats are making strong progress on Sale. Been working on it all day. They have clear lead.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) December 6, 2016
Nationals source on Sale; "We've got a real shot."
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) December 6, 2016
Sources: Legitimate chance of Sale trade to #Nationals. Robles, Giolito would go to #WhiteSox. Teams haggling over final pieces in deal.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) December 6, 2016
One likely reason for Washington’s aggression is Bryce Harper’s impending free agency. The 2015 NL MVP will hit the market after the 2018 season, and the Nationals will reportedly let him walk. That means the team will try to wring all they can out of 2017 and 2018, maximizing their time with Harper. Hence the interest in win-now moves like trading for Sale or McCutchen.
But it’s fair to wonder whether acquiring even a great pitcher like Sale would really move the needle for the Nationals in 2017. Washington won 95 games and the NL East in 2016 and will likely be favored to take the division again next year, with or without Sale. Dusty Baker’s team will bring back the entire starting rotation and seven of eight starting position players (all but catcher Wilson Ramos) from one of the best teams in the National League. Sure, Sale would improve the team in the regular season and help out in the playoffs, but if the Nats are positioned to make the playoffs anyway, there’s minimum value in tacking on a few more wins.
Meanwhile, the cost for Sale could be hefty. The White Sox reportedly want top young pitcher Lucas Giolito and young outfield prospect Victor Robles, plus more. Both are top 10 prospects in all of baseball, per MLB.com.
For the Nationals, 2016 represented the beginning of a shift from an aging core of veterans (Jayson Werth, Ryan Zimmerman, Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg, Jonathan Papelbon, Ramos) to a new generation of stars. Trea Turner broke out as one of the best young players in baseball, catcher Pedro Severino showed promise with the bat and behind the plate and starting pitchers Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez got their feet wet in the Majors. With young contributors like Anthony Rendon and Joe Ross already on the roster, it became easy to imagine a smooth transition from one era to the next.
Making win-now moves in anticipation of losing a star player to free agency is what you do if you think your window is closing, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. Even if Harper leaves after 2018, the Nationals will be in great shape to contend in the NL East, with a cast of young stars and plenty of money available for free-agent upgrades.
But, you might be saying, how can the Nats replace Harper if he leaves two years from now? Maybe with Robles, the hotshot prospect they’re reportedly about to trade for Sale.
