Wire Taps: Washington Nationals, Ryan Zimmerman Still Talking Contract Extension.

All D.C. GM Mike Rizzo said about the ongoing negotiations with 27-year-old '05 1st Round pick Ryan Zimmerman during a brief interview from Viera, Florida with FOX5 DC reporter David Feldman, was that the two sides continued to talk. Meanwhile sources were talking to reporters all around baseball telling them that a deal was close though significant hurdles remained.

"Sources: Zimmerman, #Nationals close on extension, but potential deal-breakers remain. Zimmerman has set Saturday deadline for deal," FOXSports.com's Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) wrote on Twitter tonight. "Zimmerman deal with #Nationals would be for at least six years, sources say," Mr. Rosenthal continued in a follow-up report, "Potential deal-breakers unclear, but described as 'real.'" Former D.C. GM Jim Bowden (@JimBowdenESPNXM) took to the Twitter to write that a Nats' sources told him, "Negotiations with Ryan Zimmerman continue to progress positively but still a lot of work to do for both sides.'"

Washington Post writer Adam Kilgore's sources, as he wrote on Twitter (@AdamKilgoreWP), are telling him that, "The most notable remaining hurdle for the Nats and Ryan Zimmerman is the no-trade language." In an article tonight following up on the tweeted reports, the WaPost writer noted that though the two sides continued to talk today, "They are not necessarily that much closer to a deal than they have been for recent weeks."

"Zim is, he' s the face of the franchise," the Nationals' GM told FOX5 DC's David Feldman, "He's a terrific player not only on the field, but he's a terrific guy in the clubhouse and in the community. He's part of the furniture here in Washington, D.C. and we'd love to keep him here throughout his entire career. We're in discussions, we're talking all the time, we've kept the dialogue moving and any time that you have a player who wants to be here and a front office who wants him here and an ownership group that wants him in D.C. then it's ripe to get a deal done."

Asked about the deadline Zimmerman set to get a deal done, the Nats' general manager said, "Zim put a deadline in there, because nothing's about Zim. It's all about his teammates. He doesn't want it to be a distraction to the guys in the clubhouse, so I'm not putting a deadline on it. [Zimmerman's agent] Brodie Van Wagenen and myself, we're going to continue to talk until we get this thing done and hopefully it will come to fruition and we'll get a good result."