The Washington nationals made a major statement yesterday when they moved four of their top prospects to the Oakland Athletics for lefty Gio Gonzalez. There are two schools of thought on this trade. One is that the Nationals gave up way too many young prospects and that Gonzalez isn't worth the price. But the second, according to Mark Zucerman at CSN Washington, is that the Nationals are ready to do what they need to do to contend, and that is a much more important message.
Either way, we'll probably look back at this day as a defining moment for a franchise that for seven years has been waiting to make its move and now has stated in no uncertain terms it believes it's ready to contend.
The Nationals have been in the limbo of "acquiring talent" for a while no, and this is a pretty big move towards contending. Gonzalez won't win a pennant for the Nationals himself, but he could be an important part of a competitive Nationals team. Jayson Werth was the first shot fired across the bow of Major League Baseball saying that the Nationals were finally here. This is the second.
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