Trade Deadline Review

Okay, so it looks like I missed a potential center fielder earlier, that being Denard Span. But before we tackle the CF issue, I wanted to look at our actual trades.

First, the Gomes deal. This was a weird deal to say the least. It could end up being a huge win for us IF we offer him arbitration, AND some team is dumb enough to sign him (meaning we get a pick). I have a hard time believing some other team would be dumb enough to sign him and give away the pick, but who knows? I do know that when Jim Bowden calls it "a great move," I get concerned. It's a risky move which could turn out to be a great one if we catch a few breaks.

As far as the Marquis and Hairston deals go, those are clear wins for the Nationals. Not only did Rizzo free up some space to hopefully sign Goodwin/Purke, but he also got decent prospects in return. The two prospects don't profile as stars, but cheap, useful pieces that every team needs. These were not sexy deals, but terrific returns for older veterans that really have no use for the future of this team.

Now for the deals The Nats did not make. The non-trade for Rasmus has already been covered in detail, but that was more of a personal dream, so I will move on. If this article is true (http://washington.nationals.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20110802&content_id=22655306&notebook_id=22657066&vkey=notebook_was&c_id=was), then the Nats messed up. Even if it isn't. The return the Astros got for Bourn was really, really, not good by all accounts. No major league ready talent (besides Schaefer, who is not better than Bernadina and more injury prone to boot), and 3 meh prospects for a great defensive CF yet to hit FA? For all the posturing the Astros did to say that Bourn would take a sizable return in a trade, Ed Wade lied. The Nationals could have easily surpassed the deal the Braves made, or at the very least, pushed them to improve their offer by throwing in Mike Minor or one of their top 4 pitching prospects. Judging by this trade, Rizzo could have dealt Bernadina (better than Schaefer), Detwiler, and a few potential bullpen arms. This doesn't cost THAT much, as we have a lot of depth in the minors for pitching, and Bourn would solve all of our CF and leadoff issues for the time being.

Still, that was a deal that never appeared to be that close to happening. The big non-deal would have to be the Span for Storen/Lombo/Bernie deal. I understand why Rizzo passed, and I realize Drew is a fan favorite (I love him too), but isn't it common knowledge to most (clearly not the Twins) that relievers are volatile and not nearly as valuable as say, a young CF with a team friendly deal. For everyone hollering about trading Drew, remember the Ramos for Capps fleecing? Those deals would not be quite as different as you think. However, I think there is reason to be concerned with Span's concussion and to make sure he comes back healthy first. I still believe that one or both of Clip/Storen get moved this offseason, whether it is for Span/Upton. Personally, I would rather have Upton, but it's very, very difficult to pull one over the Rays front office, and it's clearly a lot easier to sneak one by the Twins.

One more non-trade. Why did Rizzo hang onto Coffey? I am not sure if he qualifies as a Type B, but there are plenty of teams that need bullpen help. Of course, Rizzo could flip him assuming he makes it through waivers, so for Coffey (and the rest of the one year vets-Nix, Ankiel, etc.) a trade could still be made.

All in all, The Nats moves that were actually made were great (although the Gomes deal could go really wrong), but there will be more to come this August/offseason, so the grade would have to be incomplete.