Despite not having Stephen Strasburg all year (happy Rookie of the Year non-anniversary day, by the way), despite not having a winning season since 2005, despite being, well, the Nationals, the Nationals are looking to spend this summer. They have already inquired about Cliff Lee, and now, they're apparently on Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Carl Crawford's "list," according to Jim Williams of the Washington Examiner.
↵↵↵↵↵Carl Crawford is talking with only five teams: Yankees, Red Sox, Angels, Rays and Nationals - so say multiple baseball and media sources
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In other words, there are the two big-market teams, Crawford's current team, a team from Southern California ... and the Nationals. This is roughly akin to saying the following:
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- (Circa July 2010): LeBron James is talking with only six teams: the Cavaliers, the Heat, the Knicks, the Bulls, the Nets and the Clippers. ↵
- Cam Newton is only having his services sold to four colleges: Auburn, Mississippi State, Florida and Grand Valley State. ↵
- (Last year) Harrison Barnes has narrowed his college choice down to three schools: North Carolina, Duke and Appalachian State. ↵
- Vinny Cerrato is talking with only six players for his 2008 second-round NFL Draft picks: DeSean Jackson, Ray Rice, Matt Forte, Devin Thomas, Fred Davis and Malcolm Kelly. Oops. ↵
In other words: sure, there's a chance, but don't hold your breath. I hope I'm wrong, but past history says otherwise.