David Huzzard: Nats should rekindle trade talks for McCutchen

Baseball is considered a slow sport. All the discussions on how to get young people to pay attention to the game recently are centered around pace of play, but it sure does seem to move fast at times. A week ago leadoff hitter and shortstop was the least of the Nationals' concerns and this week it has moved to the top of the docket. With a 9 1/2-game lead in the division and every division rival looking like a seller this deadline, the Nationals place atop the division is as secure as it is going to be, and Trea Turner will be back before the playoffs, but we know Adam Eaton won't be, and Jayson Werth's recovery is going slower than expected and he's a free agent after next season. That means trading for an outfielder that can lead off has now become a priority for the Nats.

There are a few names that make a lot of sense, but things have to go right for the Nationals in order for those players to even be available. The Royals were widely thought to be one of the top sellers at the deadline not too long ago, but they are currently 3 1/2 games out of the division lead and just one game under .500. If they go on a run over the next four weeks, then the Nationals' best trading partner with a closer in Kelvin Herra and leadoff-hitting center fielder in Lorenzo Cain disappears. In other words, if you want the Nationals to make the best possible move at the deadline, cheer for the Indians and against the Royals.

The problem with waiting for the Royals to decide if they are sellers or not is that by the time they decide, Turner will be a month away from returning, and looking at another team with an outfielder the Nats could be interested in poses the same problem. The Cardinals are also 3 1/2 games out of their division but under .500, and just signed Dexter Fowler this past offseason. Teams have used the deadline to get out of recent contracts before and the Cardinals could be no exception, but hurting Fowler's trade value is the fact he's currently on the disabled list with a heel injury. He isn't expected to be out long, but with the Cardinals not knowing if they're sellers and Fowler's value being lowered by a recent injury and money owed, they might not want to trade him at a sell-low point.

Looking through some more certain sellers' rosters and you find players like Carlos Gomez, Denard Span and Justin Upton. They would all improve the current state of the Nationals but aren't anywhere close to the leadoff hitter Turner or Eaton are. The Nationals have built enough of a cushion where it is hard for them to be overwhelmed by injuries unless Max Scherzer and Bryce Harper also decide to go down in the next two weeks. The best move the Nationals could make might be one they almost did make.

It is no secret that the Pirates are ready to move on from Andrew McCutchen. The public shopping of him made that no secret this past offseason, and with him hitting .278/.361/.491, he has better value than he did after a bad 2016. The Nationals don't have as much to offer as they did this past offseason, but the Pirates already missed out once on the best offer they were going to get. Mike Rizzo would be smart to call up Neal Huntington and see if a deal could be worked out this time. The Nationals still have the prospects to trade. They don't have the starting pitching depth but they do have plenty of position player prospects, and if the Pirates are serious about trading McCutchen and Garrett Cole, they could be in for a few rebuilding seasons. From having discussed McCutchen recently, the Pirates are familiar with the Nationals' farm system and this could be an easy flame to rekindle.

That Nationals aren't in a terrible position. The lineup still has Harper, Anthony Rendon, Matt Wieters, Ryan Zimmerman and Daniel Murphy. Turner is a loss, a big loss, but it isn't enough to erase a 9 1/2-game lead over four teams that are going to be sellers. The Nationals still should address this issue and make improvements for the playoffs and 2018 season. Finalizing a deal for McCutchen just makes too much sense, and I for one am hoping it is something we see happen before the clock strikes on July 31.

David Huzzard blogs about the Nationals at Citizens of Natstown. Follow him on Twitter: @DavidHuzzard. His views appear here as part of MASNsports.com's season-long initiative of welcoming guest bloggers to our pages. All opinions expressed are those of the guest bloggers, who are not employed by MASNsports.com but are just as passionate about their baseball as our regular roster of writers.