Last year it was the Washington Nationals who swooped in and signed Max Scherzer to a $210 million contract in January. They probably won't be offering up that much money to free agents this time around, but rumors suggest they may have a big move in store this late in the offseason.
On Friday, FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal said before the Arizona Diamondbacks made the blockbuster trade for starter Shelby Miller, the club discussed a deal with the Nats that would have sent Ender Inciarte to Washington in exchange for starter Gio Gonzalez.
Instead, the D-Backs went ahead and acquired Miller for Inciarte, Dansby Swanson and Aaron Blair. And now the Nationals are left without a trade partner.
Washington has been in the market for an outfielder ever since losing out on Jason Heyward, so does general manager Mike Rizzo have something in the works?
"Could the Nationals trade Gonzalez for another center-field type, then sign free-agent left-hander Wei-Yin Chen?
"The Nats are discussing such a scenario, sources say. Their frequent business partner, agent Scott Boras, represents both pitchers," writes Rosenthal.
Rumors and reports have loosely talked about the Nationals' interest in Chen, but with their crowded starting rotation, it doesn't make sense for them to add another potential $100 million pitcher. As it stands, the Nats have Scherzer, Gonzalez, Stephen Strasburg, Tanner Roark and Joe Ross in the rotation, with youngsters Lucas Giolito and A.J. Cole perhaps ready to make an impact at the MLB level.
However, Washington must think ahead because Strasburg will be a free agent after the 2016 season and Gonzalez could also hit the open market after 2016 depending on whether or not the Nats exercise his $12 million team option for 2017. As a result, trading Gonzalez for an outfielder and signing Chen would make sense for the future stability of the unit. Additionally, Gonzalez is perhaps a better trade chip than Strasburg because the left-hander could potentially remain with another club for three years and $36 million (2017 team option and 2018 vesting option), which is great value for pitching nowadays.
Chen, also a left-hander, is arguably the best pitcher left in free agency. The Boras client is aiming high as reports have indicated he's looking for a $100 million deal. Here's what some MLB experts predict Chen to earn:
Jon Heyman: five years, $80 million
ESPN's Jim Bowden: four years, $56 million
Tim Dierkes of MLBTradeRumors.com: five years, $80 million
If the Nationals can get a center fielder they desire in exchange for Gonzalez, they can upgrade with the addition of Chen, who went 11-8 with a 3.34 ERA and 1.22 WHIP in 2015. He's only spent four seasons in the MLB compared to Gonzalez's eight (3.62 ERA in 217 games), but Chen has progressed since his arrival while Gonzalez has slowly declined over the past four seasons.
"At the right acquisition cost, [Gonzalez] would be more attractive to teams than free-agent right-handers Ian Kennedy and Yovani Gallardo, both of whom are attached to draft picks," Rosenthal adds.
We'll see what the Nationals decide to do, but this is an intriguing scenario and seems like something Rizzo would consider due to its creative nature.
