Fleecing the Pirates So Easy, Even the Nationals Can Do It
The Nationals are in a bit of a quandary. They’re trying to convince Mr. Everything, Stephen Strasburg, to join their woeful franchise for something less than $50 million. Not easy when you’re dealing with Scott Boras, who decided to open Rick Ankiel’s negotiations with the entirely reasonable comparison between Ankiel and Babe Ruth.
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↵So before they know how much of the $50 million they’ll have to spend on other talent (likely somewhere between $40 milly and, uh, zero), they’ll have to beef up their roster to show they’re serious about winning. But how? What franchise is actually lower on the negotiating totem pole than the Nats? Hmmm... someone with a rich history of giving away talent...
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↵Oh, hello, Pittsburgh, nice to see you! ↵↵⇥Washington is pursuing a trade for Pirates outfielder Nyjer Morgan, according to two sources late last night, including one source inside the Nationals’ baseball operations.
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↵⇥The teams began discussing this eight days ago, and a Washington proposal in which the Pirates would get younger outfielder Lastings Milledge crumbled when the Pirates came back seeking Milledge and starter Craig Stammen. ↵↵Those talks are back on, according to this Post-Gazette article, though it’s not known if Stammen’s on the block or there’s a different player involved in discussions. Either way, as near as we can tell, making this trade would make the Pirates’ best baserunner, like, one of the brothers LaRoche.*
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↵And yes, the argument can be made that Milledge, a former top prospect, has his best days in front of him. Perhaps. But being that the Nationals are going to be, essentially, the second franchise to give up on Milledge in as many seasons, what are the odds that he ends up fulfilling even half his potential? Or, in other words, replaces Morgan’s production and
doesn't
leave Pittsburgh on the short end of the deal?
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↵But perhaps that’s just the way of business in the major leagues; only the “big markets” can compete. After all, it’s
just Pittsburgh
; who’s going to win anything in
that
*This is an unfair statement, actually; it's probably Nate McLouth's replacement in center, Andrew McCutchen. McCutchen is 4-4 on the basepaths and has five triples in 21 games. But that's not as funny.
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This post originally appeared on the Sporting Blog. For more, see The Sporting Blog Archives.
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