Much has been made this year of the innings limitation that the Washington Nationals organization is placing on Stephen Strasburg this year – believed to be in the neighborhood of 160-180 innings – and for good reason. With the Nationals currently sitting in first place in the National League East and with one of the best records in the league, it’s easy to speculate about a possible playoff run this October which has naturally led to questions about whether the team is really prepared to head into their first post season appearance without the ace of their staff. Opinions vary in both directions on this subject, with some believing the innings limit is “nonsense” and “poor decision making if it will hinder this team come the playoffs”. Others see the long term value in such a move, citing the organization’s ability to remain competitive for years to come rather than simply focusing on just this season.

With all of the discussion surrounding Strasburg’s innings limit, it’s only natural to wonder what the team’s options are going to be once he reaches that limit. One such option could involve acquiring another starting pitcher prior to the July trade deadline.

Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports passed along some of the latest rumors earlier this afternoon, citing “major-league sources” in reporting that the Nationals have expressed interest in Ryan Dempster of the Chicago Cubs. He also mentions Milwaukee’s Zack Greinke and Minnesota’s Francisco Liriano as possible targets.

Ryan Dempster is enjoying a career year in 2012 and will likely be traded somewhere, but hopefully not Washington. (Image Credit: Rob Grabowski-US PRESSWIRE)

Dempster would offer a veteran presence in the rotation for the season’s stretch run, something that could prove to be beneficial for the young arms that currently occupy the team’s pitching staff. He’s also been enjoying a solid 2012 season to date. Through 14 starts he’s posted a 5-3 record, a league-leading 1.86 ERA, and career lows in H/9 (6.8) and BB/9 (2.4). The 35 year old right-hander will be a free agent this winter, so Washington would potentially be acquiring him just for the remainder of the season and given changes to Collective Bargaining Agreement, the team would not be eligible to receive any extra draft picks next year should they allow him to walk this winter.

Part of the argument being made in favor of Dempster is his “playoff experience” – something the Nationals currently have a minimal amount of on the roster. However, Dempster shouldn’t necessarily be considered a seasoned playoff veteran. His teams have twice reached the postseason, in 2007 and 2008. Dempster appeared in just two games during each of those years, making only one start. He allowed 4 earned runs over 5.2 innings with 7 walks and just 4 strikeouts. He’s 0-1 with a 6.35 ERA and 1.941 WHIP.

While yes, Dempster has pitched well this season, he ultimately isn’t the right option for this Nationals team should they decided to pull the trigger and make a deal before the deadline. Dempster (who has the right to veto any potential deal thanks to his 10-5 rights) is having a career season, he’s never been a hard thrower, he’s already battled some injury concerns this year (he missed a little over two weeks in June with a strained lat muscle), and let’s not forget he’s just a two month rental without a proven track record of success in the post season. As if we didn’t have enough reasons to pass on Dempster, we have yet to consider what acquiring such a player might end up costing the Nationals given the seemingly high demand that the right-hander is creating. The Red Sox, Braves, Yankees, Dodgers, Tigers and others have all been linked to him in some fashion just over the last week. Add in the fact that Chicago can hold out for a strong deal given the fact that they do have the ability to potentially collect extra draft picks should Dempster leave this winter via free agency and that further increases what a potential offer might need to look like in order to obtain Dempster from Theo Epstein and the Cubs. In the end, bringing him to Washington just simply won’t be worth it.

The two other names Rosenthal threw out there in his article, Greinke and Liriano, also have their faults and limitations.

Washington nearly had a deal completed that would have brought Greinke to town following the 2010 season. It’s uncertain what players were being discussed in the deal* or how close the two teams were to reaching an agreement, but it all became a moot point in the end. Despite Washington’s public statements regarding the possible contract extension they’d be willing to hand Greinke, he rejected the deal (his contract permitted him to reject trades to 15 teams, one of them being Washington). Once he landed in Milwaukee, it became apparent that Greinke’s opinion was that the “Brewers could win sooner” and that was ultimately a large factor in his decision. He spurned Washington once and will be a free agent this winter, likely one who’ll command a contract in excess of $100 Million. Like Dempster, he too is likely not the right option for the Nationals to pursue at this point in time.

* Based on the players Kansas City ended up receiving from Milwaukee when they did trade Greinke, a potential comparable package from the Nationals may have looked something like Jordan Zimmermann, Danny Espinosa, Derek Norris, and another prospect or two (some speculated that Drew Storen’s name had been involved, even though he had just been drafted the prior summer).

As for Liriano, his lack of consistency has long been his biggest problem. The phenom that burst onto the season when Liriano made his MLB Debut (and subsequently convinced the Twins they had enough in-house that they could afford to trade Johan Santana) is no longer there. Injuries have plagued Liriano for the past few years and the player that was once deemed “untouchable” is suddenly available. It is possible that a change of scenery could prove to be beneficial for the left-hander at this point in his career, though there seems to be some certainty this winter that he’ll test the free agent market and is unlikely to return to Minnesota, and being inserted into a youthful clubhouse like that in Washington could re-invigorate the 28 year old to some degree, but there is still some question about whether he’d be the right fit for this Washington team.

How the Nationals proceed in handling Strasburg’s innings limit may go a long way towards how deep into the post season this team is capable of actually going this year. Internally there has been a great deal of support for such a plan, namely because it places more value on the organization’s long term success rather than just one playoff run. Perhaps acquiring another starting option is the right move for the team to make between now and the trade deadline, but guys like Dempster, Greinke, and likely even Liriano just aren’t the right options for this team right now.

The whole notion is idiotic. That isn’t to say that Mike Rizzo won’t pull the trigger on a deal for a pitcher, but he shouldn’t. Signing another pitcher is a solution in need of a problem, and adding yet another pitcher to the roster will cause more roster chaos than Nats fans can imagine.

July 10, 2012; Kansas City, MO, USA; National League pitcher

Hamels is a rent-a-player who will only stay through the end of the season. He has publically said that if he gets traded he is open to resigning with the Phillies next year. Now that the Nats have their foot on the Phillies necks, why would they give any minor league talent to the Phillies that they can use for their rebuilding project, especially to get a pitcher that probably will not stay with the team or who will require a huge contract to sign with the Nats in the offseason? I cannot imagine a worse idea than to help the Phillies get out of the mess they have created for themselves by giving them any talent in exchange for a three month rent-a- player.

Greinke is headed for free agency after this season. His salary for this year is $13.5 million, and the Nats would have to pay at least a third of that if they get him in a trade to use him for three months. There is no guarantee that he would sign with the Nats next year and he will command big dollars in the offseason for whatever team signs him. Greinke’s temper tantrum last week that got him tossed by the umpire in the first inning of his start didn’t impress either.

The Nationals overloaded on pitching this year by signing Edwin Jackson. The signing of Jackson was a silly move at the time and in the grand scheme of things remains inexplicable to me. The Jackson signing was the one move made by Rizzo in the offseason that clunked. At the time he was signed, the Nats had starting pitching of Strasburg, Gonzalez, Zimmerman, Detwiler, Lannan, and Wang competing for rotation spots. Throwing Jackson into the mix meant there were seven starters competing for five spots. With Wang’s spring training injury, it still meant that the Nats had a starter they could not use. Lannan got sent to the minors even though his spring training ERA was lower than Jackson’s.

Jackson’s record with the Nationals this year is 5-4. I seriously doubt that Lannan’s record would be worse if he was the Nats fourth starter. The Nationals spent 11 million dollars to sign Jackson, and are paying Lannan 5 million. Edwin Jackson is not six million dollars better than John Lannan. The demotion to the minors had Lannan requesting that the team trade him, and sent his pitching totally off the rails when he went to Syracuse. Lannan was horrible in his first couple of starts at AAA, but he has righted his ship and his ERA is currently down to 4.60.

What would the Nats do with another starter coming onto the team at the end of July? Strasburg will not reach his innings limit until the end of August or the beginning of September. The new starter will not be taking Strasburg’s place right away. That means someone has to go to the bullpen. Jackson is not a good candidate for bullpen work, because as we have seen this year it usually takes him at least an inning to start pitching well. Jackson tends to give up runs in the first inning he pitches. That does not make him a good candidate for a relief role. Detwiler would probably get sent to the bullpen again. Detwiler can’t be sent to the minors to be parked until needed because he is out of minor league options. If Detwiler goes to the bullpen, which pitcher gets sent down or released? Keep in mind someone is leaving the major league roster when Storen comes back next week. Who goes if Detwiler has to go to the bullpen because the Nats have signed another starter–Ryan Mattheus? Henry Rodriguez? Mike Gonzalez?

When Strasburg has reached his innings limit, Lannan is available to come up and be a fifth starter. About the time Strasburg gets shut down, the rosters will expand and the Nats will be bringing up some young arms to get some major league experience. This year’s Tommy Milone and Brad Peacock are waiting in the wings–but if the Nats already have signed another starter it will be next to impossible to get many starts for the guys added to the roster in September. Don’t forget that last year with Jordan Zimmermann shut down when he reached his innings limit both Peacock and Milone received significant starts where they performed well, and that showcase lead to Rizzo’s ability to pull off the trade with the Athletics to bring Gio Gonzalez to the Nats, sending Peacock and Milone to the A’s.

The Nats don’t need another starter for the postseason. Even with Strasburg unavailable, the team has Gonzalez, Zimmerman, Detwiler and Jackson as a four man rotation with Lannan to use as a fifth starter if necessary. I know the Nats have never been to the postseason, and that may be why the fans and talking heads are forgetting that during the postseason, the fifth starter is rarely used. Teams tend to go with the best four pitchers they have and keep the fifth in reserve for a spot start or for long relief out of the bullpen. Most teams make it through the postseason relying on three or four starters, with the number one and two guys getting the majority of the starts.

The Nationals don’t need the roster chaos that adding yet another starter to the team will create, nor should they send minor league talent to other teams for a pitcher who may only be with the team for two or three months. The Nationals need to plug their ears with wax and refuse to listen to the siren song that the Cole Hamels and Zack Greinkes of the baseball world will be singing for the next couple of weeks.