David Huzzard: Should Nationals be targeting Rockies' Tulowitzki?

When the Nationals signed Max Scherzer to a seven-year, $210 million contract, they signaled that they were not only going for it in 2015 but where going to be competitive for a long time. Unfortunately, many ignored the fact that it was a multi-year contract and labeled it a win-now move. The Nationals are very interested in winning in 2015 and general manager Mike Rizzo has shown a willingness to do what it takes to construct a roster capable of doing just that, but he also wants to be able to stay competitive for years after 2015, and that is what makes Troy Tulowitzki such an intriguing option for the Nationals.

Let's first point out what Tulowitzki is. He is the best shortstop of the current decade. Despite playing in nearly 200 games less than second-place Jhonny Peralta, he has amassed more fWAR than any other shortstop in the game from 2010 to present. Tulowitzki is a shortstop with a career .985 OPS and even with the caveat that most of his games have come at Coors Field, that is impressive.

Now for what Tulowitzki isn't, and that is a model of health. Professional sports have a 100 percent injury rate, but some players get hurt more often than others and Tulowitzki hasn't played in at least 140 games since 2011. As good as he is when he is on the field, Tulowitzki simply isn't on the field enough to be the centerpiece of a team, and the Rockies have found that out the hard way.

The other thing that Tulowitzki is to some folks is expensive, but with five years and $98 million guaranteed left on his contract, he is downright affordable compared to what is available via free agency. Ian Desmond turned down an extension that would have paid more than what Tulowitzki is owed, and while Desmond has been good for the last few seasons, he's no Tulowitzki - and also a free agent after 2015.

A trade for Tulowitzki would be treated much like the Scherzer signing. It is a move that would give an already good Nationals lineup a piece they seemingly don't need, and it would be labeled as a win-now move. It would also be a move for the future, as it would push Wilmer Difo and Trea Turner into depth roles - and with Tulowitzki as your starting shortstop, you're going to need depth - as well as give the Nationals their replacement for Desmond when he leaves via free agency at the end of the season.

The biggest question with Tulowitzki isn't his health or if he can be productive moving later into his 30s. It's whether the Rockies are even going to move him at all. They are a floundering franchise and much like the Wood/Prior Cubs, part of their problem is they rely on a superstar player that cannot be counted on for a healthy season, and year after year they keep hoping that this will be the one. The Rockies need to rebuild and Tulowitzki is their most valuable trade piece, but as has been seen in the past, teams rarely get enough in return when trading a superstar.

When the Florida Marlins traded Miguel Cabrera to the Tigers, they got back two of the top 10 prospects in baseball - and it turns out that even that wasn't enough. Prospects are fragile things and every single season there is going to be a top 100 list for multiple sources, but a shortstop with a career .985 OPS is a once-in-a-generation talent. Even if the Nationals were to get Tulowitzki for only 120 games a season, that would be an improvement.

The Nationals are in the position to go for it, and Tulowitzki would certainly help that goal, but the Nationals are also in the position to be good for a long time if they can continue to put quality pieces around Bryce Harper, and again Tulowitzki is that. If the Rockies do decide to part ways with Tulowitzki, Rizzo should be one of the first GMs waiting to Snapchat his trade offer to Colorado general manager Jeff Bridich.

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.