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There hasn't been any word about how the Washington Nationals got involved in the Wil Myers talks between the San Diego Padres and Tampa Bay Rays. Was it something the Nats discussed before or an opportunity that presented itself?
When Nationals' GM Mike Rizzo talked to reporters at last weekend's NatsFest, he said there were plenty of discussions at the Winter Meetings.
"I thought we made good progress," the general manager said.
"We laid the foundation for further discussions and made the deal with Texas, acquired two young prospects for Ross [Detwiler] and did a lot of investigating, a lot of kicking the tires for future possibilities."
The Nationals are in the market for a second baseman this winter with Danny Espinosa more likely to end up back in the utility role he filled last season than starting at second. Asdrubal Cabrera is talking to other teams though the Nats have reportedly had discussions with his representatives this winter.
According to reports from Washington Post writer James Wagner, the Nationals have scouted the infielders available on the international market and as Rizzo said last weekend, they've discussed trade possibilities.
"We had a lot of trade ideas," Rizzo said, "and we just haven't found the right time, place or situation to make trades. We feel that we like the team that we have, but we certainly see room for improvement and to get better and we're always on the lookout to improve the ballclub."
What will the Nationals do next?
They surprised the baseball world by getting involved with the Rays and Padres and walking away with two first-round picks and made the deal with Texas for Detwiler that addressed some of their organizational needs.
Dave Nichols from the District Sports Page and I talked about all the Nationals news from the last two months and what might come next on a mid-winter edition of Nats Nightly last night. Check out the audio below: