‘Nationals vs Mets 08’
courtesy of ‘maxedaperture’

During the dog days of the baseball season, there are two major July milestones that benchmark most teams for the year. First is the All-Star Break, three days off the normal schedule and inclusive of two of the only days of the year where there are absolutely no major sports being played in North America. The second is the MLB trade deadlines of July 31, where teams in contention do what they can to strengthen their rosters – and those who are lagging behind potentially make the commitment to “look to next year.”

On the last day of June, we look to the last day of July, and it looks more and more likely (even with the win last night) that the Washington Nationals are going to be clearing some room to build for the future. There are two names that seem to pop up the most in trade rumor talk: Josh “The Hammer” Willingham and Adam Dunn. Both will be free agents at the end of the season, so it’s in the Nationals best interest to try and move them to get something back on the investment. Willingham’s bat could help out many a contender, and recent conversation indicate that he may be a fit for NL East rival Atlanta; Dunn would be a good addition to an AL club like the White Sox, where he’d be able to DH and not have to see the field.

We’ll keep you up to date on who will be wearing a Nationals uniform come the end of next month – but it’s more likely than not going to be a few new jerseys to get to know.

Dave Levy

Dave Levy is a PR guy by day, a media researcher on the side and a self-proclaimed geek. He blogs often about how traditional media adapts – or tries to adapt – to the growing digital media world at State of the Fourth Estate. You can follow Dave on Twitter for various updates about everything from sports from his previous home in Boston to eccentric and obscure pop culture references. Read why Dave loves D.C.