District Daily: The Washington Nationals are in good shape for the future

May 25, 2013; Durham, NC, USA; North Carolina State Wolfpack shortstop Trea Turner (8) tags out North Carolina Tar Heels outfielder Tom Zengel (19) during the ACC baseball tournament at Durham Bulls Athletic Park. North Carolina won 2-1 in 18 innings. Mandatory Credit: Liz Condo-USA TODAY Sports

Good afternoon Dod readers! Checkout some great Washington Nationals articles from around the web in our District Daily:

The Washington Nationals are in good shape for the future

(James O’Hara, Washington Post)

All eight position players who started for the Washington Nationals last season also started for them in 2013. Six of them, not including Danny Espinosa, also started for the Nationals in 2012. Three of the Nats’ five current starting pitchers have been the same since 2012 and two-thirds of the back end of Washington’s bullpen has been with the team since 2012, as well. Barring an unforeseen trade, all of these players except Adam LaRoche will return in 2015.

Such roster continuity is nearly unprecedented. Through some shrewd moves and a number of draft picks panning out, the Nats have built a core that is about 13 players deep. But that type of continuity does come with problems. First, the Nationals’ payroll has increased sharply over the last four years and will continue to rise in 2015. (Note: The projection from 2015 is a rough estimate made by The Post’s Adam Kilgore in early November.) Read full article here.

More from District on Deck

• 3 Free Agents the Nationals Should Gamble On
• A Washington Nationals Christmas Wishlist
• Washington Nationals: Is Seth Lugo Still an Option?
• Robots in Baseball? The Possibility of an Automated Ball/Strike System in the MLB
• Washington Nationals Re-Sign RHP Erasmo Ramirez

Ian Desmond’s Future With Washington Nationals All But Over After Trea Turner Trade

 (Pete Schwichtenberg, Rant Sports)

Ian Desmond is not just a centerpiece in the Washington Nationals‘ lineup, but he is one of the best hitting shortstops in all of baseball. Though he is one of the biggest bats in their lineup, playing in a contract year, he will not be a National for long. He has been the topic of several trades throughout the offseason. Now that the Nationals have acquired speedy shortstop prospect Trea Turner, Desomond’s future in Washington is all but over.

Throughout his six-year career, Desomond has a .270 batting average with 91 homers. Playing at a position that often lacks power, he has hit 20 plus home runs in each of the past few seasons. These impressive numbers have played himself out of the Nationals’ price range. Read full article here.