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There have been fans of many teams talking about how their favorite team should trade for Washington Nationals prospect Anthony Rendon.
It makes sense. Currently, Ryan Zimmerman has the Nationals’ third base job completely locked down, probably for many years to come. When I see a guy with the talent of Rendon being blocked, my first thought is that he is trade bait. Should the Nationals try to trade their young prospect with amazing upside? The Nationals are built to win now and will probably be in the playoff race all season. Usually teams like that look to buy at the trading deadline, and Rendon would be an elite piece for Washington to use.
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That being said, while looking at Washington’s roster, there simply are not many holes. Their bullpen is one of the best in baseball, their starting rotation is oozing with elite talent and they are stacked at most positions offensively. If anything, I think the Nationals could use a little starting pitching depth in case of injury, a catcher and a second baseman because Danny Espinosa has struggled mightily.
Starting pitching depth is not something you pick up for a prospect like Rendon, and that could be filled by a trade using much lesser prospects. Catcher and second base are probably the two hardest positions to fill in baseball right now. There will probably not be anybody at those positions available at the deadline that would be worth trading Rendon for.
Unless they are blown away with an offer they cannot reuse, I think the Nationals should hold on to Rendon for now.
I think the Nationals should be looking to have Rendon make the move to second base. Although he has only played four games there in the minor leagues, Rendon has the athletic ability to play many positions. If he can be coached to learn the position quickly, it would be a huge boost for the Nationals. They are going to have to make room for him eventually, and second base seems like the only open spot.
It’s hard to say if he can handle it, but if he wants to make it back to the big leagues anytime soon, that may be the best way to do so.
Daniel is a writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @D_Schmelzer and add him to your network on Google.
