Jul 20, 2015; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Nationals starting pitcher Gio Gonzalez (47) pitches during the first inning against the New York Mets at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
After missing out on signing Jason Heyward this offseason, the Washington Nationals are desperate for outfield help.
According to a report from Jon Heyman at CBS Sports, the Nats went to the trade market to acquire an outfielder, but were quickly shut down by the Miami Marlins:
Gio Gonzalez has been mentioned in trade rumors for a couple seasons, so it's not surprising to see the Nats shopping him. He's been a solid rotation piece in Washington, pitching to an 11-8 record with a 3.79 ERA in 2015. The 30-year-old lefty is owed $12 million in 2016 and has a team option for 2017 and vesting option for 2018.
Christian Yelich, on the other hand, is a budding star in Miami. The former first-round draft pick owns a career .290/.365/.406 slash line through two-and-a-half seasons and is relatively affordable -- he is signed through 2021 on a contract worth just $47.8 million.
The Marlins are in a bit of a limbo this offseason -- they could theoretically "go for it" with a roster full of young talent in Yelich, Jose Fernandez, Giancarlo Stanton, Adeiny Hechavarria, Dee Gordon, Justin Bour and Marcell Ozuna, just to name a few.
One area of need, however, is the rotation. It makes sense why the Nationals would put a high asking price on Gonzalez, but the Marlins were right to deny the request.
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