Washington Nationals: Will Adam Dunn And Cristian Guzman Be Back?

Adam Dunn's 17th HR of 2010 sailed over the center field wall last night in Nationals Park, giving the Washington Nationals a 4-1 lead in what ended up a 4-3 win over the Kansas City Royals. According to Nats Insider.com's Mark Zuckerman's Tweeted estimate (@markzuckerman), the HR bounced, "Off the wall behind the batter's eye. At least 440 feet," from home. It wasn't the longest HR that Dunn's hit this year, however. On May 15th in Colorado, Dunn hit a 471ft blast off Rockies' starter Jason Hammel which momentarily tied the game at 3-3 and earned Dunn a full set of Callaway Diablo Edge golf clubs. The Nats' slugger also partnered with Callaway to give a set of junior golf clubs away to the Jimmy Garvin Legacy Foundation (a non-profit organization based in Washington D.C.) The folks behind the promotion* reached out to Federal Baseball to let Nats fans know that Dunn's blasts are not only helping the Nats but also helping local charities as part of a program run by Callaway that, "...for the duration of the season is rewarding any professional baseball player who hits a homerun over 470 feet with a full set of Diablo Edge clubs." Only two players this year have done so, Dunn and Atlanta Braves' slugger Jason Heyward, who hit a 476ft blast on the first pitch of his Major League career. So Adam Dunn's HR's not only help the Nats, but potentially local charities...just another reason to keep him around...

• Dunn Extension And Cristian Guzman Trade Talk AFTER THE JUMP...

(ed. note - " * = They just reached out, not a paid ad, I just thought Dunn helping out local charities with his bat was worth a mention. SHAKE N BAKE!!")

Dunn contract status was discussed again yesterday in several articles including Washington Post writer Adam Kilgore's Nationals Journal post entitled, "Mike Rizzo on the trade deadline, Adam Dunn's contract extension", wherein the DC GM Mr. Rizzo was quoted stating that though Dunn could bring a decent return should the Nationals decide to trade their big middle-of-the-order bat, but, "As of now, the Nationals remain interested in signing Dunn,":

"'We're looking into it," Rizzo said. "We've been talking about it since spring training. We're looking at all things, every way to improve the club. We like where Adam is at offensively and defensively. He's a big part of the clubhouse. He's a big part of the middle of the lineup."

• LINK: Should the Nats resign Dunn? In case you somehow missed the spirited discussion last week, FB contributor bluelineswinger's post entitled, "To Sell Or Not To Sell" sparked a long in-depth discussion of Dunn's value and whether or not the Nats should commit to the 30-year-old first baseman. 

• The Guzzzzzzz? 

On Monday night on the MLB Network show MLB Tonight, hosts (and former Major Leaguers) Harold Reynolds and Sean Casey mentioned that the three-game series this week in DC between the Kansas City Royals and Washington Nationals was, "...of interest to scouts and general managers leading up the July 31 trade deadline," since both teams were going to be potential sellers at the trade deadline. (ed. note - "DC GM Mike Rizzo was quoted yesterday saying that the Nats could be "buyers and sellers" over the next month.") Mr. Casey, in particular, talked about Nats' SS Christian Guzman’s value to the Nationals, and why he might be an appealing target for playoff bound teams looking to add a veteran infielder:

Sean Casey: "You win up the middle. He can still play shortstop. He can flat out swing it. He can still steal bases. He can do so many things for you. I’d be surprised if the Nationals are out of it in a few weeks and he’s not shipped off somewhere else."

According to early estimates provided in a MLBTraderumors.com post by Tim Dierkes entitled, "Elias Rankings Update", Guzman would not qualify for Type A or B free agent status, so if the Nationals let him walk once his contract expires this fall, the Nats would receive no compensation in the form of draft picks. Should the Nationals trade Guzman to ensure some return? Is there any chance Washington brings Guzman back? I seriously doubt it, but he's obviously well-liked by the Nats? If you were DC GM Mike Rizzo what would you do?