The trade deadline has come and gone, and Adam Dunn will continue to hit home runs for the Washington Nationals, possibly even tonight against the Philadelphia Phillies at Nationals Park. The slugger, who was sought by several teams, will remain with the Nats until at least the end of the season.
The Nats had already traded infielder Cristian Guzman Friday and closer Matt Capps Thursday for prospects.
The New York Yankees, Chicago White Sox, Detroit Tigers, and Tampa Bay Devil Rays had reportedly been interested in Dunn, but the Nationals' asking price was apparently too high.
Dunn is hitting a career high .278, with 24 home runs and 64 RBIs for the cellar-dwelling Nats, who have a record of 45-58. The first baseman’s numbers, projected over a full season, come out to 38 home runs and 101 RBIs for a team that is sixth-worst in the majors in scoring runs.
Dunn is also durable, having played at least 158 games in six of the last seven seasons, and 102 of 103 games in 2010.
Dunn’s downside is his propensity to strike out, as he has 126 on the season. He is not known for his defense either, but Dunn is one of the best hitters in the major leagues. At only 30, Dunn could potentially end his career as one of the game’s most prolific home run hitters if he plays another decade.
Dunn will reportedly seek a four-year deal after this season, and the Nats may not oblige. If Dunn leaves via free agency, the Nats would get two compensatory draft picks. But Washington would be smart to resign Dunn. Why give up a proven hitter for prospects who might become great players?
Major league baseball is not the NBA, where the same few teams are in contention each year. Sure, the Yankees will always be at the top because of their ridiculously unfair payroll, but it’s not uncommon for major league teams to make dramatic turnarounds. The San Diego Padres have the best record in the National League at 60-41. Last year the Padres were 75-87.
The Nats could contend as early as next season with a nucleus of Dunn, Ryan Zimmerman and Josh Willingham, along with rookie phenom Stephen Strasburg and other improving pitchers like Craig Stammen.
For a team in its sixth year of existence that has never had a winning season, Dunn provides a little bit of star power for Washington, which has a roster devoid of name players other than Strasburg, Zimmerman and Dunn.
For now, at least, Dunn will continue to chew gum, blow bubbles and use his relaxed swing to slam home runs over the fence. For that, Nats fans should be thankful.
Nats trade Guzman for prospects
The Nationals traded Guzman to the Texas Rangers for two pitching prospects Friday. In exchange for the 32-year old infielder, Washington gets Ryan Tatusko and Tanner Roark, both pitchers for AA Frisco (Texas).
Guzman, 32, will become a free agent after the 2010 season. He played this year at second base after spending most of his career at shortstop. Guzman was hitting .282 with two home runs and 25 RBIs this year, and has played for the Nationals since their inaugural season in 2005.
That year, Guzman had a historically bad season, batting .192 through August, but raised his average to .219 by the end of the year and underwent eye surgery after the season. A shoulder injury sidelined Guzman for 2006, and in 2007 injuries limited him to 46 games, though he rebounded to hit .328. Guzman played 138 games and hit .316 in 2008.
Tatusko, 25, and Roark, 23, are considered possible future major league starters. Tatusko went 9-2 with a 2.97 ERA and Roark had a record of 10-5 with a 4.20 ERA this year. Both pitchers were primarily starters this season, but have also pitched out of the bullpen.
Adam Kennedy and Alberto Gonzalez are expected to share time at second base for the Nats for the remainder of the season.
Nats trade Capps for catching prospect Ramos
On Thursday, the Nats traded closer Matt Capps to the Minnesota Twins for catching prospect Wilson Ramos and minor league pitcher Joe Testa.
Capps was the Nats’ lone all-star representative this season, leading Washington with 26 saves. Capps, 26, will become a free agent after the season.
Ramos, 22, is considered an excellent catching prospect. He batted .296 for the Twins in seven games this season after being called up from the minors.
Testa is a left-handed reliever who was 2-5 with a 5.86 ERA in Class A and Double-A action.
Washington will apparently use a bullpen-by-committee for the rest of the year with Tyler Clippard, Sean Burnett, and Drew Storen sharing closing duties.
Capps is expected to become the closer for the Twins, who are in the midst of a playoff race.
Nats Notes
The Nats face the Phillies tonight at Nationals Park at 7:05. Nats Lefty Ross Detwiler (0-1) will take on Joe Blanton (4-6).
Friday the Nats routed the Phillies 8-1 behind a strong performance by Craig Stammen (3-4), who outdueled new Phillies pitcher Roy Oswalt (6-13).
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