No Need For Nats To Mortgage Future At Trade Deadline
Other than acquiring a veteran catcher for the second half, the Nationals should stand pat.
If the Nats decide to give Jesus Flores some help behind the plate, Geovany Soto of the Cubs would be my target.
With Drew Storen and Chad Tracy on the verge of returning and Jayson Werth just weeks away, that will be the boost that the club needs.
The Nationals will have trouble enough figuring out how to make room for the returning vets.
Washington will also have to decide what to do with Chien-Ming Wang and Xavier Nady when they are healthy.
Packaging excess for a catcher like Soto might make some sense.
Let's take a look at when the injured players are expected back:
Storen- Any day now
Tracy- Playing rehab games, day-to-day
Werth- Less than three weeks away
Wang- Pitching Double-A rehab game tonight
Nady- Rehab in progress in High-A
In addition to the injured players, there are minor league options as well.
1B Chris Marrero- Was activated from the 60-day DL three weeks away and is currently at Triple-A Syracuse.
CF Corey Brown- Spent three days with major league club Memorial Day weekend. Has 19 home runs in Triple-A.
P John Lannan- Rockies and Dodgers interested as Lannan has turned things around in Triple-A.
As it stands now, Roger Bernadina and/or Tyler Moore may have to make way for Werth and Tracy.
As for Storen, veteran Mike Gonzalez or Ryan Mattheus, although both very effective, may be a victim of the numbers game.
