So You Want A #1 Starter...

It sounds ridiculous, I know. If Mike Rizzo couldn't get a #1 starter before the offseason was over, then there's no way he can do it this year! Well why is this the obvious conclusion? If the Nats can get a playoff run going before the trading deadline, could we get something done?


It doesn't seem likely, but it could happen. Heard about the overload at catcher the Nats have? How about the possibility of too many solid bullpen members? Or the ridiculous amount (four or five) spot starters we have? If we could raise the value of a few players in these areas, the Nats might just be able to get a deal together.


Jim Riggleman has said that Pudge (Ivan Rodriguez) will be the opening day starter, and if he has a solid offensive first half and wants to hit the 3,000 hit mark, why not trade him to a team willing to take him as their everyday catcher? The Nats certainly aren't the team for that, but someone may want him. Also, one of either Wilson Ramos, Jesus Flores, and Derek Norris is probably expendable. I'd like to see Riggs bump up Flores' and/or Pudge's trade value before the trade deadline.



The closer role is such an easy role to over value. Or at least thats what Moneyball taught me. With saves being such an easy stat to increase, making a big time closer can be fairly easy to do. The Matt Capps trade shows this perfectly. This year the Nats have 7 solid options in the bullpen (Todd Coffey, Henry Rodriguez, Sean Burnett, Tyler Clippard, Doug Slaten, Colin Balester, and Drew Storen) as well as a possibility in Rule 5 draft pick Elvin Ramirez. If the majority of these guys pan out, at least one will be easily expendable by the trade deadline, barring any major injuries. Storen is most likely to be the closer for this season, and I, personally, would hate to see him go, but if Storen is traded for a top starter, he wouldn't be missed as much as he should be. If we could get a guy like Clippard or Burnett to have a high trade value, the Nats would have a great addition to the trade.


With at least 8 solid options for 5 starter spots, theres plenty of depth for a trade such as this. If one or two of our starting 5 get traded, the Nats should be able to replace them easily. Things happen, as we Nats fans have seen, but it seems likely that Jason Marquis, John Lannan, and Yunesky Maya will have bounce back from last year, which ranged from disappointing (Maya) to absolutely awful (Marquis). Wang probably won't be ready for the start of the season, but he should be able to start by the time a trade is made. If other teams like one of our starters, don't be surprised to see them gone by the end of the year.


With the depth we have at starter, reliever, and catcher, Rizzo could get the trade his fan base has been dying for for the last 2-3 years. Only expect this if the Nationals are making a playoff run though, because taking away this depth isn't absolutely necessary, but if we need the help, we could get it. Rizzo has a chance to get the trade he's promised, and if he does, lets just say D.C. might pay attention to baseball for a change.

Hello World

Hi everyone! This is the new blog on the block, Nationals Archives. I decided to do this blog because I'm a huge Nats fan and wanted to impart my knowledge of the team to the Nats fanbase. Because I'm currently in school, my postings on spring training may be few and far between, and I may just post links to other blogs. My coverage on the season may also be limited, but I'll give it my best shot. Enjoy the blog, and GO NATS!