Zimmermann and Fister on their futures in Washington

Jordan Zimmermann knows what it will take to keep him in a Nationals uniform, and he's more than willing to let the process surrounding a long-term contract extension take its course. "If it's fair value, like I've said all along, I'd gladly sign," Zimmermann said. "At the end of the day, it's got to be something that's fair. If it's not, then I'll be moving on." How much Zimmermann, 28, is worth to the Nationals is the sticking point. He's going to be a free agent at the end of the 2015 season and has earned the right to test the open market. The deals being thrown at free agent pitchers - Jon Lester got six years and $155 million from the Cubs this year - make it likely that he'll strongly consider testing the waters of free agency unless the Nats pony up. That's one reason general manager Mike Rizzo is listening to offers on Zimmermann. If he can spin off a pending free agent and get decent major league-ready pieces in return, such a deal might make sense to Rizzo. Multiple teams contacted the Nationals about Zimmermann at the Winter Meetings in San Diego and the right-hander grew used to hearing the trade speculation. "I'm really not listening to it. I'm here for another year and getting ready for next year and that's the main focus right now," Zimmermann said. What Zimmermann doesn't want is for talks to drag into the season, where negotiations might conflict with his focus on pitching. Rizzo met with Zimmermann's agent Tuesday and laid out some groundwork for future discussions, but the sides haven't talked since and Rizzo hasn't revealed when the next meeting will be. "We've got a lot of talking to do and obviously we've had one meeting so far," Zimmermann said. "It went well. So we'll see where it goes. I don't like talking during the season. We made that clear last year and the year before that. But we'll see what the talks bring and we'll see in the coming month or so where we're at." Like Zimmermann, right-hander Doug Fister is a free agent after the 2015 season and has been the subject of trade speculation. That's nothing new for Fister, who's been dealt twice in his career. And until he's dealt again - if that even happens - he's not interested in hearing about what might come to pass. "There was always rumors, but I want to be taken by surprise because I want to expect that I'll be back here next year. ... Until you take this jersey away from me, I don't want to take it off," he said. "That's how much I love each team I've played for. I want to be loyal to that team. I want to be a National." Fister understands the unique chessboard playing out before Rizzo, where he has to determine whether it's prudent to sacrifice a few pawns in the short-term for better control of the board later in the game. "He has to look out for the immediate, but he also has to look out for the future of what the Washington Nationals team may look like," Fister said. Nationals manager Matt Williams is eager to have both pitchers back in his starting rotation. "I'd like to have those two guys (pitching) every fifth day," Williams said. "That'd be great."