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Multiple reports out of the Winter Meetings in San Diego, California have the Washington Nationals and Texas Rangers talking about the Nats' starting pitching and the Rangers' infield depth.
In an article on Monday morning over at MASNSports.com, Pete Kerzel wrote that he was hearing the Nationals "may have interest" in the Rangers' 20-year-old infielder, Rougned Odor, the young Venezuelan-born infielder who put up a .259/.297/.402 line with 14 doubles, seven triples and nine home runs in 114 games and 417 plate appearances on the year, in a +0.5 fWAR rookie campaign in 2014.
In the article, Kerzel also mentioned that the Nationals had previously expressed interest in Rangers' infielder Jurickson Profar, 21, who has played both second and short in the majors, but missed the entire 2014 campaign while dealing with what Dallas Morning News writer Evan Grant wrote in September, was a "a tear in the teres major muscle," in his right shoulder, which was still an issue at that point.
In his first two major league seasons, Profar put up a combined .231/.301/.343 line with 13 doubles and seven home runs in 94 games and 341 PAs.
According to Kerzel, however, the shoulder injury and "whispers about his work ethic and his decision to bypass winter league ball" were "red flags" that could make the, "Nationals look elsewhere."
A series of reports on Twitter today confirmed that there was something to what the MASNSports.com reporter was hearing.
Washington Post writer Adam Kilgore reported that the Nationals asked about Odor when the Rangers expressed interest in the Nats' starters who are believed to be avaiable this winter:
Source: The Rangers have expressed strong interest in the Nats starters. Nats asked for 2B Rougned Odor. Rangers said they won't trade him.
— Adam Kilgore (@AdamKilgoreWP) December 9, 2014
On the other side, MLB.com's TR Sullivan wrote on Twitter this afternoon that the Rangers have asked about Jordan Zimmermann, but not Doug Fister:
Rangers have asked Nationals about Jordan Zimmerman but not Doug Fister. Nats not inclined to deal Zimmerman but will talk about Fister
— TR Sullivan (@Sullivan_Ranger) December 9, 2014
Zimmermann and Fister are, of course, both set to become free agents after the 2015 campaign if they can't agree on long-term deals that will keep them in the nation's capital.
Zimmermann, 28, and the Nationals were reportedly meeting up again at the Winter Meetings to discuss a long-term deal after failing to find common ground in previous discussions.
Does the fact that the Nationals are reportedly "not inclined" to deal Zimmermann, if true, signal that they've made some progress or are at least optimistic?
Fister, 30, and the Nats reportedly talked about an extension after the Nationals acquired the right-hander from the Detroit Tigers last winter, but reportedly haven't talked about a long-term deal since then.