Offseason Notes: Fielder, McCutchen, Wilson, Rodriguez

As the offseason continues towards December, let’s take a look at some of the latest links regarding potential Nationals targets …

Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports is reporting that the Nationals have shown serious interest in Prince Fielder. This news is somewhat overdue, as the Nationals were early favorites by some to sign Fielder. Rosenthal states that the two sides were actively involved in negotiations before hitting a “speedbump” in the process. It is unknown if/or when talks will resume. Rosenthal went on to mention that Cuban Outfielder Yoenis Cespedes could be Washington’s Plan B if Fielder goes elsewhere.

ESPN’s Keith Law passed along a note reporting that Pirates center fielder Andrew McCutchen was “not untouchable” after all and that although they haven’t yet, the Pirates “will at least listen on offers.” Obviously it is somewhat unrealistic to think that Washington could go after McCutchen, but hey, there’s always a few offseason surprises! He’s a player that would certainly fill the team’s center field void but a package that would “blow the Pirates away” enough to complete a deal would not likely be a sound use of resources.

Joe Capozzi of the Palm Beach Post talked to C.J. Wilson’s agent, Bob Garber, questioning him about the pitcher’s recent visit to the new Miami Marlins ballpark. In the article, there’s a quote from Garber mentioning that Wilson will “probably” decide where he’ll sign at the Winter Meetings. Wilson is a potential front-of-the-rotation target for Washington, and for their division rival Miami Marlins, so Wilson’s decision could impact the Nationals in multiple scenarios.

Here at District On Deck you’ve seen multiple articles with our different takes on Wandy Rodriguez. Buster Olney of ESPN recently tweeted that there’s a “decent-sized” market for Rodriguez, decreasing any speculation that Washington could be a likely suitor.