Source: Talks back on between Nats and Pirates for McCutchen

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. - Following the White Sox's decision to trade Chris Sale to the Red Sox, the Nationals' focus has shifted to the possibility of dealing for Pirates center fielder Andrew McCutchen.

Talks with the Pirates regarding McCutchen were back on and a meeting was scheduled in the afternoon, according to a source with knowledge of the talks. The source also confirmed the Dodgers continued to express interest in McCutchen, that no deal was imminent,and talks were "fluid."

Last week, those talks had focused on two Nationals prospects, right-hander Reynaldo Lopez and center fielder Victor Robles, with the Pirates potentially seeking a third player in the deal.

At this afternoon's meeting with D.C. media at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center, Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo confirmed the talks regarding McCutchen.

"He's one of the players that we're discussing," Rizzo said. "Like I said, we're discussing a lot of different players, a lot of different avenues. Trade market, free agent market. Position players, pitchers, relievers. We've got our net wide, and we're looking for any avenue to improve the ballclub."

The potential Sale trade to D.C. overtook the headlines the last 24 hours. Did Rizzo have to wait for that trade to be finalized before he moved on to another need?

"No. We've got a lot of things going on," Rizzo said. "We have a lot of lines in the water. We've got a lot of things we can do and we continue to work through. We had a lot of balls in the air, and still do."

Besides McCutchen, other center field possibilities include free agents Dexter Fowler, Carlos Gomez and even former Nationals shorststop Ian Desmond. Kansas City's Lorenzo Cain and the White Sox's Adam Eaton also may be on the block.

Rizzo was asked specifically about Desmond and would not confirm that the Nationals have talked to him.

"You know we are not going to talk about specific players," Rizzo said. "We've got a lot of things out there and we're looking at a lot of players."

Last season, Trea Turner emerged as an everyday player and accomplished the feat even by playing a position he had never played before: center field. Rizzo has long worked to find an everyday leadoff center fielder. If he can pull off that move, it would allow Turner to return to his natural position at shortstop. But the fact that the Nats played Turner in center field without any prior experience demonstrates what Rizzo and the front office feel about the up-and-coming star.

"He's a good young player," Rizzo said. "He's a great talent, and a guy who is controllable and really performs well. It's a small sample, but he's shown that last year he energized us. He's got a great skill set. He's a good ballplayer, and he impacts a roster."

Rizzo said by playing Turner in an unnatural position the Nationals found out how the young player can adjust from play to play and game to game to eventually become more comfortable at a new defensive spot.

"I think what we learned is how quickly he adapts to different obstacles and different things he had to," Rizzo said. "Here's a guy who performed extremely well for the first time that he's ever been in the big leagues - and learning a new position that he's never played before. Those things are very unique in a talent such as him. We see a bright future for him."

So far at this year's Winter Meetings, the Nationals have attempted to re-sign closer Mark Melancon only to see him agree to a deal with the Giants and offered a competitive package for Sale, who eventually ended up with the Red Sox. Will those two deals motivate Rizzo to make a deal he might not have made this quickly?

But Rizzo said there is a possibility that the club won't make any significant deals at National Harbor this week and could wait.

"We've done some of our best deals after the meetings," Rizzo said. "You lay foundations and you have starting points that can sometimes finish here, but continue on. We've got a lot of offseason left, so we're going to be active and aggressive and keep plugging along."