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The Washington Nationals are currently leading the NL East by 1.5 games over the New York Mets, thanks to a three-game sweep of the Pittsburgh Pirates over the weekend. Despite their place in the division, the Nationals are only 37-33 overall, and 34-33 before the sweep of the Pirates. The team is benefitting from a weak division, and if they are going to reach their preseason expectations, general manager, Mike Rizzo, is going to have to make a few changes at the trade deadline.
One of the most recent rumors involving the Nationals, stated that the team was interested in the Arizona Diamondbacks‘ middle-infield depth. The Diamondbacks currently employ four starting-caliber middle-infielders, Chris Owings, Nick Ahmed, Cliff Pennington, and Aaron Hill. Any of the four makes sense, but Hill is the guy that would fit the Nationals perfectly.
Nationals’ starting shortstop, Ian Desmond, was expected to be a key cog in the lineup in 2015, but he has struggled mightily, and will be benched for Tuesday night’s game against the Atlanta Braves, which will be the third time in four games that Desmond has started on the bench. Desmond is only hitting .222 with a .266 OBP, five home runs, and 18 RBIs, and seems to have lost his starting job to Danny Espinosa.
Adding Hill would give the Nationals a veteran bat, who could play second or third base everyday, allowing the team to move Yunel Escobar to move to his natural position of shortstop. This would be a better long-term solution than having Espinosa play every day at short, or hoping Desmond turns things around.
It’s entirely possible that Rizzo is interested in one of the other three guys, but I believe Hill is the player to go after considering his experience and positional versatility. Either way, it’s obvious that the Nationals have moved on from Desmond, and his career with the Nationals organization is essentially over, as his contract expires at the end of the season.
Jason Fletcher is a MLB Featured Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @JasonFletcher25, “Like” him on Facebook, or add him to your network on Google+
