Wednesday I posted a poll on NatsGM asking Nationals fans what they thought was the team’s greatest need ahead of next week’s trade deadline. I was very curious to view the results and see if those that voted were on the same wavelength as me in terms of the Nationals need or needs. After an impressive road sweep of the New York Mets and current 5-game winning streak, it is difficult to say the team must make improvements, that said, those that voted in the poll yesterday agreed with my thinking that the Nationals should find an upgrade at catcher to pair with Jesus Flores, and some middle infield depth to help Steve Lombardozzi and Danny Espinosa until Ian Desmond returns from injury.
As we discussed at length in Tuesday’s article, now that Ian Desmond is out 4-6 weeks with an injured oblique muscle, the Nationals now have Danny Espinosa and Steve Lombardozzi as their starting middle infielders and Mark DeRosa as the only backup. DeRosa has only played 55 innings at second base the past three seasons, and is hitting .148/.288/.222 this season, not confidence inspiring considering he is one injury away from starting at second base. The middle infield trade market has some intriguing names potentially available, namely Willie Bloomquist (Arizona), Jamey Carroll (Minnesota), Mike Fontenot (Philadelphia), and Marco Scutaro (Colorado): however, the best fit for the Nationals might be Chicago Cubs 2B/OF Jeff Baker. Baker, a versatile 31-year old right-handed hitter, is batting .271/.322/.439 in 2012 and is a career .306/.354/.521 hitter against left-handed pitching while also possessing the reputation as a reasonable defender at second base, and could be a solid platoon partner for Steve Lombardozzi. Once Ian Desmond returns, Baker could provide the Nationals a strong weapon off the bench as a pinch hitter and occasional starter against left-handed pitching. A free agent at the end of the season, Jeff Baker should not be particularly costly in terms of prospects and one would expect the Cubs to be willing to deal.
Unfortunately, compared to the middle infield market, catcher availability looks rather thin, with the possible available options including the somewhat underwhelming Kelly Shoppach (Boston), Ramon Hernandez (Colorado), Geovany Soto (Chicago Cubs), and George Kotteras (Milwaukee). The best catcher potentially available might be Seattle Mariners John Jaso, a reasonably good defensive player and a left-handed batter with .267/.360/.410 career numbers against right-handed pitching: these attributes could make him an interesting platoon partner with Jesus Flores the rest of this season. Jaso will only be 29 years old in September and is arbitration eligible through 2016, which could make him more difficult to acquire than those mentioned above, but with Miguel Olivo signed through next season and Jesus Montero still a long-term option for the Mariners, Seattle will certainly listen on Jaso. If the cost to acquire Jaso is not exorbitant, the Nationals would be well-served to acquire him from Seattle to bolster the team the rest of this season, and as an asset in future years as well.
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Although the Nationals have the best record in the National League, I feel the club has weaknesses at catcher and middle infield that need to be addressed by the front office in the next week. I am anxious to see what moves, if any, the front office makes in the next few days and to see if they agree with the fans and view middle infield and/or catcher as weaknesses for the Nationals. Whether the team acquires Jeff Baker and Jason Jaso as I suggest or others, the club has an opportunity to make the playoffs for the first time in franchise history and GM Mike Rizzo should capitalize on the depth in the farm system to make these important but relatively minor acquisitions to improve the team’s chances of making the playoffs this fall.
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John Jaso might make sense but then if they do that they definitely lose Koyie Hill in AAA. And that would not be a good thing at this point in time. And what happens when Solano comes back? As for left-handed bats you definitely have one in the form of switch hitter Sandy Leon.
So, that’s a no go. Again, the ONLY way they go for catcher is if they decide they need to replace Ramos and Flores getting a top prospect replacement. That could happen given the injury history of both players.
As for your choice of Baker. They NEED someone like Alberto Gonzalez who can play shortstop. Gonzalez could play third, short, and second at almost gold glove levels. And his bat wasn’t too bad at times. But Davey seems to be good with Zach Walters and Josh Johnson in spite of the 23 errors Walters has made. We’ll see.
@Peric
Good to hear from you… As we’ve said in the past, you value Koyie Hill much more highly than I do, I think we have a few Hill types already in the organization, Carlos Maldonado amongst them. While Jaso is not the defender Hill is, his OBP and left handed bat would be huge and significant upgrades at the bottom of the order for the Nationals… And I think we agree Flores could use an improved tag-team partner from Leon and Solano in the pennant chase, as he appears worn down playing 5 days a week.
Although Baker is not a SS, Lombardozzi could play SS in a pinch until Desmond returned (far from ideal in case of an Espinosa injury) while the Nationals called up one of Rivero, Walters, or Josh Johnson to act as the defensive-minded backup. I prefer Baker because he would be a natural 2B platoon with Lombo the next few weeks, then when Desmond returns, Baker could fill an important role as a RH pinch hitter and starter at multiple positions against LHPs. Not to mention, the cost should be miniscule to acquire his services. That said, if the cost is not extravagant, Scutaro is probably a better fit overall for the Nationals.
Good as always to talk baseball with you, thanks for writing-
Ryan
Carlos Rivero in AAA has played shortstop as well and could be used in place of Derosa if need be. Rivero is already on the 40 man roster I believe. I don’t see how Baker really fits the need. Peric is right in his statement about needing a shortstop. Bloomquist, Mike Fontenot, Cody Ransom, Jack Wilson or Brendan Ryan could make sense but Davey tends to like offense off the bench too and Rivero is hitting .300 at AAA and could be just as productive as any of them. If they do go for someone and interesting idea may be bringing back Emilio Bonifacio. He could also serve as the CFer/lead off guy next season but play infield this year putting Lombo back on the bench as a utility player.
The Brewers DFAd George Kottaras and he could be an option behind the plate for little to no cost to the club. He is as good as Shoppach, Hernandez etc. What a coincidence the Nats are in Milwaukee too. Wouldn’t be shocked if he is brought over this weekend for cash considerations of a non prospect minor leaguer.
@PDowdy
I guess we can agree to disagree on Baker, as I wrote above and in the piece, I think Baker provides the Nationals with a natural platoon for Lombo the next few weeks until Desmond gets healthy, and in the few days over the next month Espinosa needs a rest, Lombardozzi slides over to SS. Ideal, certainly not, but if we are to believe Desmond is only out 4 weeks or so, how many times would Brendan Ryan, Mike Fontenot, and the like play, maybe once a week? They could promote Rivero, or call up Walters and others if that is the case with similar results, and like you said, Davey Johnson prefers more offense off the bench. Baker’s ability to mash LHP and versatility at 1B, 2B, 3B, LF, and RF could be a major boost to the club in September and hopefully in the playoffs.
That said, I like your idea about Bonifacio – the rumors are that the Marlins wish to keep him and make him their 2B, but if was made available, his speed and versatility could be a nice asset to the Nationals (or most any team) down the stretch. Certainly worth that phone call.
Finally, I think Kottaras is traded over the weekend, and the Nationals make some sense. I would prefer Jaso and his OBP skills to Kottaras as I wrote about yesterday, but Kottaras is a major league caliber catcher and could be a solution for the Nats. I would not be surprised to see the scenario you laid out happen over the course of this road trip. Thanks for writing-
Ryan