Some media outlets are surprised that the lowly Nationals have been willing to trade away major league players for stars who will almost certainly walk at season's end. I am not. In the days of compensatory draft picks and overvalued veterans, teams who develop talent in house often have the most competitive teams. Just look at the Braves, or the Indians, or even the Marlins. All three are small or medium market teams who are finding success primarily through their farm system.
The Nationals know that to play with the big boys they need to develop some big talent. The best way to do that is to have a lot of high draft picks where, with good scouting, they can select future stars and get some of their most productive years on the cheep. But why trade every and any decent player on their current roster? It's simple, there really aren't many to build a team around. When Nick Johnson and Austin Kearns are your biggest financial commitments you can rest assured that a team rebuilt from he ground up can be nothing but improved.
Think of it this way, If the Nationals get Dunn w/o giving up any stars (not that they have any beyond Young and perhaps Cordero) then they've assured themselves 2 high level draft picks or Dunn for another year. Either way the team wins. It was the same way with Soriano last year. Take the star that got some people excited about your team then if he walks take the picks. For a team not looking to contend this decade it's a very sound move.
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