The Nationals came into the offseason seeking two things more than any other; a veteran starting pitcher (preferably lefty) to help augment their young rotation, and an outfielder with a good on base percentage who could potentially lead off. Sure, they might take a star first baseman along the way, but those were the two things they wanted over anything else.
It just so happened that the best starting pitcher on the free agent market is a left hander from Texas named C.J. Wilson. Knowing what we know about their intentions for this offseason, it should come as no surprise that the Nationals have reportedly made Wilson their "top target."
@SI_JonHeyman
Jon Heyman hearing the #nationals are going to push for cj wilson. they want a lefty, and apparently thats their top target
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The Nationals want a left handed starting pitcher to balance out their rotation which is currently led by right handers Stephen Strasburg and Jordan Zimmermann. They were also seeking out a veteran who could help teach their young rotation about what it means to be a successful major leaguer. C.J. Wilson definitely checks both of those boxes.