Wire Taps: Adam Dunn Placed On Waivers, What Will Washington Nationals Do Next?

So I suppose there's some obligation to comment on the non-story of the day, as Adam Dunn was placed on waivers by the Washington Nationals this afternoon according to ESPN.com's Buster Olney, who wrote on his Twitter account (@Buster_ESPN) that he'd once again heard things: 

"Heard this: Adam Dunn hit the waiver wire today, giving teams 48 hours to place claims on the slugger -- and the wide expectation...is that multiple NL teams will put in a claim on him -- Rockies? Giants? -- and that there is no chance that AL teams like the...Rays or White Sox or Yankees ever get a shot at Dunn, who is working on his seventh straight year of 38 or more homers...What this means about Dunn is that if he's going to be moved -- and that seems unlikely -- it'll happen in the next 72 hours."

There's no word from the Nationals, of course. MLB.com's Bill Ladson cites a "a source outside of the Nationals organization," in his own article entitled, "Dunn placed on waivers", which quotes the DC GM Mike Rizzo from a post-Non-Waiver Trade Deadline press conference where the Nats' general manager was asked if a possibility of a trade still happening before the August 31st Waiver Trade Deadline and responded, "There's always a possibility, we're always doing our jobs and looking to improve the ballclub. 

USA Today writer Mel Antonen, in an appearance on the Sirius/XM MLB Network Radio show Inside Pitch with hosts former DC GM Jim Bowden and Casey Stern, discussed how he saw the situation in DC playing out over the next month:

Jim Bowden: "[The Nationals] never have made an offer to Adam Dunn. His agent Greg Genske told me that back in Spring Training, Adam Dunn gave a proposal through his agent to the Nationals, and it was a four-year deal, significant dollars, no question about that, there's never been a counter. Now, I ask you this Mel, just for clarification, I would assume what their feeling was, [was] let's take it to the deadline and see if we can make a deal for prospects, if in fact that doesn't happen happen then we'll sit there in August and we'll try to grind the month of August and try to get a deal done and if that doesn't work we'll put him him on waivers and whoever claims him we'll make the best deal we possibly can." 

Mel Antonen: "I think that was their strategy and I think reading between the lines, talking to Adam Dunn and being around the team, it feels like Adam wants to get the deal done too. I think he wants to stay there. I think he senses that things are going to be good there and whether they are or not, I don't know, but I think he senses that, and so I think he wants to stay, and I think the Nationals are banking on that and if they're not, then the scenario you just painted could easily happen." 

The process of putting him on waivers, as SB Nation.com writer Jeff Sullivan points out today in an article entitled, "Adam Dunn Hits Waivers, Joins Much Of Rest Of Baseball", is, "...more of a procedural thing than anything else," meant to gauge interest in the Nats' big middle-of-the-order bat.

Dunn's friend Austin Kearns appeared on the  the Sirius/XM MLB Network Radio show Inside Pitch with hosts former DC GM Jim Bowden and Casey Stern, yesterday as well, and he took a minute to explain to the hosts what he'd heard from Adam Dunn since the Deadline passed: 

Austin Kearns: "I think he was just kind of up in the air, he didn't know what was going to happen, and I talked with him and obviously keep in touch with him, he's one of my good friends, so I think he was just waiting and listening and pretty much sick of talking and answering all the questions..."

Dunn wil have to hear all this just a little bit longer, if someone makes a claim, as MLB.com's Bill Ladson explains, the Nationals, "...48 hours to either try to work out a trade with the claiming club or remove the player from waivers." If Dunn clears waivers, the Nats can then work out a trade with any team in baseball...Just sign him to extension all ready, Nats fans (if I were to attempt to read their thoughts) are as tired of hearing all this talk as Dunn.