It is by no means a shock that the Nationals traded their sole All-Star, reliever Matt Capps. Washington received highly touted catching prospect Wilson Ramos and reliever Joe Testa. This team is obviously a seller and Capps was probably the most expendable player on the team. Capps’ great season so far also gave him the highest value that he may ever have in his career. Capps’ current value may only be second to Adam Dunn, who may have been traded by the time this column is read.
One major reason the Capps for Ramos deal makes so much sense has nothing to do with any of the players directly involved in the deal. It’s about Washington’s depth. First of all, the Nats have a closer who could be as good as Capps right now. Drew Storen has shown he has the composure and the talent to be an effective closer. Tyler Clippard should fully inherit the eighth inning and the seventh could be split among the likes of Sean Burnett and Joel Peralta.
As of now the Nationals have announced that they will have a closer by committee mixing and matching who will act as the closer depending on who’s available and such. The truth is, everyone knows that the closer of this team is Storen. Next season the spot is his barring injury.
Depth would continue to be the theme of this trade as the Nationals acquired a strong catching prospect. Right now, Ivan Rodriguez has served admirably as the starter, but he isn’t getting any younger. He’s a future Hall-of-Famer but an old catcher can mean lots of injuries. Behind him is Wil Nieves, who can provide stable defense but virtually nothing with the bat. Washington’s minor league system recognizes that catcher has been a weak point with the organization so they have tried stacking the system with that position.
That brings us to Jesus Flores, who is already close to aging out of being considered a “kid” by big league terms. He will turn 26 in October and is unlikely to see much playing time before then since he always seems to be on the mend from some injury. Then there’s Derek Norris who many believe has a possible future as a first baseman because of his bat. These two catcher’s questionable futures make the acquisition of Ramos a perfect deal for the club.
What remains to be seen is what is done with Adam Dunn. He provides a huge amount of power, a lot of strikeouts and below average defense at first base. Dunn wants an extension but the team is not ready to give him the contract length that he wants. The problem with trading Dunn is that the team does not have anyone with the power that a first baseman should provide. Manager Jim Riggleman has played Adam Kennedy and Michael Morse at first. Kennedy is now going to be the everyday second baseman since Cristian Guzman was recently traded to the Texas Rangers. That would leave Morse, not an ideal power hitter but he has shown he can hold his own there.
Moving Dunn may prove difficult but the Nationals seem to have few options, they can sign him or trade him. Letting him play out his final year here without an extension seems pointless and would show a belief that the draft pick compensation they would receive if he signed elsewhere would be more valuable than an established major leaguer or top prospect. But for now, the Dunn saga seems to be at an impasse but General Manager Mike Rizzo should have certainly earned points with the fan base as Ramos may end up being the catcher of the future for the Nationals.
You can reach this staff writer at slindauer@theeagleonline.com.
