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Washington Nationals Rumors: Nats reportedly miss out on Jason Heyward

Another free agent target for the Washington Nationals signed with the Chicago Cubs according to reports this afternoon. First it was Ben Zobrist. Now it looks like Jason Heyward is going to be playing in Wrigley for years to come. What's next for the Nats?

Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

Well, it appears the 24-hour dream of the Washington Nationals signing Jason Heyward has come to an end. It was fun while it lasted, but the much sought-after 26-year-old outfielder has apparently decided to sign with the Chicago Cubs, joining utility man Ben Zobrist in spurning the Nats for the Cubbies.

The Nationals, however, according to CBSSports.com's Jon Heyman, did in fact make a Mark Teixeira-before-he-signed-with-the-Yankees-like effort to add the Gold Glove-winning former Atlanta Braves and St. Louis Cardinals' outfielder to their lineup:

Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times was first (or at least the first we saw) with the news that Heyward picked the Cubs as his new team:

The news has since been confirmed by a number of sources:

So where do the Nationals and GM Mike Rizzo turn now? The Cardinals, who were also considered finalists for Heyward, are reportedly turning their attention to soon-to-be-former Kansas City Royals' outfielder Alex Gordon:

Where will the Nationals find the left-handed bat they're rumored to be after this winter and... man the Cubs are one impressive team on paper right now... and they were pretty impressive before they started adding all the pieces they have already this winter. What will Mike Rizzo and Co. in D.C. do next? They'll be an opportunity to ask him tomorrow at NatsWinterFest...