The acquisition of left fielder Alfonsio Soriano was one of the biggest things to happen to the Washington Nationals since they moved to D.C. Now, with the Nationals floundering in the N.L. East and the trade deadline approaching, it’s looking increasingly likely that Soriano may leave:
The man in the middle of the market sat down yesterday evening, his wares being peddled across the nation. Jim Bowden is the general manager of the Washington Nationals, and in the hours leading up to last night’s 8-6 win over the San Francisco Giants at RFK Stadium, he said he had spoken to 27 teams about the possibility of trading one or more of his players. It is quite likely no other team is as intent on breaking things down so it can build them back up again.
At the center of the talk, of course, is left fielder Alfonso Soriano, the commodity that glistens a little bit more than the others available this trading season, which will close Monday. Bowden, as has been his policy, won’t discuss specific offers for Soriano. But he is aware that Nationals fans — and, indeed, the Nationals themselves — would like to see the team’s most ebullient and explosive player remain here past the deadline, even beyond this season.
And pretty much every team with something at stake in the pennant races is interested:
All indications yesterday were that the market for Soriano is still hot, with the Detroit Tigers, Los Angeles Angels, Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees and Chicago White Sox among the teams interested.
And Soriano isn’t the only player the Nats might be willing to give up:
As they worked on finding a buyer for Soriano, the Nationals were also in the midst of exploring possibilities for players such as right-handers Livan Hernandez, Tony Armas Jr. and Ramon Ortiz, who won last night despite giving up five runs in six innings. Hernandez’s final start before the trade deadline is Thursday afternoon against the Giants, and it could be important. Of Armas (7-5, 4.35 ERA) and Ortiz (7-9, 4.87 ERA), Bowden said, “They’re both good pitchers that are healthy.”
Since Soriano’s contract is up at the end of the season, the Nationals would be smart to try to get a good deal for him now.
