Major League Baseball’s annual Winter Meetings get underway Monday in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. In the past, that event has been a catalyst for moves galore as teams fight for as much talent as possible early in the winter. You get trades, free agent signings or — at the very least — the groundwork is laid for moves later in the offseason.
Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo has said for months that a No. 1 starting pitcher is his top priority heading into 2011. It was a nice thought. It’s likely he needed to say that in public. But it’s also clear that will be far easier said than done. Cliff Lee is the one legitimate ace on the open market. And while Washington is willing to make a push for the 32-year-old lefty, the chances of him choosing a team that hasn’t had a winning season since it moved to the District in 2005 are slim at best.
And that’s too bad. Lee, of course, began his career as an Nat — or at least a Montreal Expo — before being included in the infamous Bartolo Colon deal in 2002. But while money is important, few elite free agents want to play for a team that hasn’t proven it can win, either. Rizzo has to convince someone otherwise.
So the trade market may be his only option. But does that even make sense? This team has some nice young pieces — Jordan Zimmermann, Ian Desmond, Danny Espinosa, Wilson Ramos and a few more in the minors like catcher Derek Norris — but trading several of them for a player like Zack Greinke, who Kansas City could put on the market, seems counter-productive. Washington isn’t one ace pitcher away from being a contender. And they already have a player on the roster — Stephen Strasburg — who could realistically be that ace if he returns from Tommy John surgery late next year and into 2012. Nats fans don’t want to hear it. But the franchise may be in store for one more transition season.
