Washington Nationals

Scott Miller of CBS Sports (click here for the article) is reporting that the Twins have acquired Nationals closer Matt Capps in exchange for minor league catcher Wilson Ramos.

Adam Dunn or as his teammates call him, "The Big Donkey," is on the trade market and four teams are very interested in acquiring his services: White Sox, Yankees, Rays, and Tigers.

These four teams are in the playoff chase and need someone like Dunn to help them in the second half to either get into the playoffs or get home-field advantage for the fall classic.

This headline is an idea that most any baseball fan would disagree with, myself included, except for last night. The loss of Strasburg did not deter the Nationals from winning against their division rival, the Atlanta Braves.

As the 40,000 fans were arriving at Nationals Park ready to see the phenom Stephen Strasburg in action, the young star was having trouble warming up. After a discussion with Nationals pitching coach Steve McCatty and GM Mike Rizzo, the Nationals decided to scratch Strasburg from the start.

The word on the street this morning is that the Nationals would remove first baseman Adam Dunn from the trade market if he would give the team an informal agreement about a contract that could be hammered out over the next few months.

The Washington Nationals scratched Stephen Strasburg from his start tonight at home against the Atlanta Braves, when Strasburg couldn’t “get loose” in the bullpen before the game. 

The people in attendance at the game booed loudly when the decision to pull Strasburg was announced, which isn’t surprising when you consider that one-third of the fans likely bought tickets for that game only because Strasburg was scheduled to start.  Nonetheless, it was absolutely the right move for the Nationals to make.

With many of the larger names on the trading block falling by the wayside due to injury, Nationals’ slugger Adam Dunn continues to be the league’s hot commodity.

As the trade deadline approaches, it is becoming apparent that Adam Dunn has a better chance to be traded by July 31^st then to remain a long-term part of the Washington Nationals.

Merriam-Webster defines "rumor" as "talk or opinion widely disseminated with no discernible source." Baseball fans define rumor as a normal late July occurrence.

It is with this definition in mind that I present to you the latest three-team rumor making the rounds, and it's a good one.

Two weeks ago, it seemed imperative that the Washington Nationals resign Adam Dunn and make him a long-term part of the team's future.

However, the team continues to prove that while they are on the cusp on contention, they aren't close enough to begin signing 30-year-old players to long-term deals.

To win at this level, a team must have quality pitching and solid defense to go along with timely hitting.