Rangers' Odor may be of interest to Nationals

SAN DIEGO - The Nationals are in need of a second baseman, and you can expect them to be linked to just about every available player at the position during the Winter Meetings. That's how baseball's mid-winter gathering works: need plus availability equals instant rumor.

So you're going to hear a lot over the next few days about guys who Nats general manager Mike Rizzo might be interested in acquiring.

We won't dignify every rumor by reporting it; a lot of media types throw names out en masse, hoping something sticks on the wall. That's as much a part of the Winter Meetings as daily briefings in the team suite, TV sets set up around the host hotel and beer kiosks popping up in the lobby as soon as the sun sets.

But I'm hearing the Nationals may have interest in Texas second baseman Rougned Odor, a 20-year-old who hit .259 with nine homers and 48 RBIs in 114 games in his rookie season. Don't let the first-year struggles fool you, Odor is a pure hitter - he batted .280 in four minor league seasons - and has developing power and some speed to boot. His glove and arm are considered strong enough to play shortstop, though he's been a full-time second baseman since midway through the 2012 season.

Odor is part of a wave of young talent the Rangers have been waiting on, and he was pressed into early service last season when injuries forced Texas' hand. He's under team control through 2020, which would be a key for the Nationals - and a potential sticking point for the Rangers.

However, he won't come cheaply. The Rangers are in need of starting pitching and an outfielder to replace departed free agent Alex Rios. Maybe Texas could package Odor with other pieces in exchange for one of two right-handers, Doug Fister or Jordan Zimmermann, who will enter their walk years in 2015. There doesn't seem to be a match on the outfield front, unless the Rangers have interest in one of the Nats' young outfielders.

The only way a deal works is if the Rangers get a window to negotiate an extension with either Fister or Zimmermann (and they have long coveted the latter). Odor for one year of team control of either Zimmermann or Fister probably doesn't interest Texas. No telling how last night's news that the Nats would make another run at a long-term extension with Zimmermann factors into any discussions with the Rangers.

The Nationals have long expressed interest in another of the Rangers' crop of young infielders, 21-year-old Jurickson Profar. A shortstop by trade who played both middle infield positions when he got to the bigs in 2012, Profar has a lot to offer. He hits for average, hits for power, can steal bases and is sound defensively - and his glovework can't be overlooked by a defense-first club like Washington.

But he also has baggage - we're talking more than the allotted two checked bags accompanied by hefty fees. The native of Curacao, who batted .234 in 85 games in 2013, was slated to be the starting second baseman last season in Texas until a serious right shoulder injury shelved him for the entire campaign. There are whispers about his work ethic and his decision to bypass winter league ball is a red flag that may make the Nationals look elsewhere.