ESPN: Nats have several conversations regarding Dunn

ESPN Blogger Buster Olney reports that the Washington Nationals have had several conversations with a few teams regarding possible trade scenarios involving 1B Adam Dunn.  Makes sense considering his earlier tweets of Dunn’s frustration with the Nationals.  Can you blame Dunn?

Heard this: Would-be free agent Adam Dunn has just about lost interest in working out a long-term deal with the Nationals because of what he perceives to be a lack of urgency from the team in working out a new deal. He does not feel there seems to be the same amount of interest as he has in working out contract. The Nationals are fast approaching fish-or-cut bait time with the slugger

You really can’t blame Dunn too much here.  The Nationals made gesture toward Dunn earlier in the season, you know, when things were going fairly well, that they had a desire to make a long term commitment to the big guy.  Now that the Nationals have, well, started playing like the National;s, that urgency to lock up Dunn has pretty much dissipated.  The only question that still lingers for me is, where does the power come from if Dunn is gone.  Who will be protecting Ryan Zimmerman in the lineup.  How will Dunn’s absence effect Zimmerman’s effectiveness at the plate and quality of pitches he gets to see?

It isn’t likely Dunn is an old guy.  Locking the 29 year old up to a 4 or 5 year deal makes sense, given the power he has and the improvement in batting he has had since joining Washington.  The career .250 hitter hit .267 last year and is hitting .288 this season.  It isn’t like Dunn is blocking some super prospect who is ready to come to Washington.  The best first base prospect is 2006 first rounder Chris Marrero. Marrero has a .292 batting average with 11 homes at AA Harrisburg.  Decent numbers, but not MLB ready number by any sense.

The ramification of dealing Dunn away will filter through the Washington Nationals lineup.  The fact that Dunn is already starting to sour on a desire to ink a long term deal with Washington deflates the notion of trading away Dunn, and then resigning him in the off-season.  So we do what?  Trade him for prospects?  When do the Nationals decide they don’t want to be a prospects team, a build for the future team, and instead be a winning team?  When?