Better not be like the yahoos who thought the Yankees could have snagged Strasburg if the Nats didn't sign him. They have to make a trade, and the Nats have to agree . . . He won't come cheap.
Nats showing interest in Wagner?
Stringfellow is trying to bluff the Red Sox out of offering arbitration to Wagner but Epstein is saying that they may do so.
Another angle on Wagner -Arbitration could be viable optionIf Billy Wagner is willing to work as a setup man for Jonathan Papelbon, the Red Sox aren’t averse to the idea of the veteran lefthander accepting salary arbitration.
As for what the Red Sox would offer for Willingham - I have not seen any speculation about what is fair value and what they would have to offer. Look at posts starting on page 5, around #87, in this thread.
http://sonsofsamhorn.net/index.php?showtopic=49884&st=80&start=80 It's fan talk, but note that Van is on the Red Sox payroll. He's pretty high on JW, and there really is no one arguing too much that the evaluation is wrong.
We (the Nats) should not deal him unless we get blown away by the offer because he is a terrific #5 hitter in our order. If I were to speculate, I'd ask for one of Reddick or Kalish (both rated 4-star by BP, equivalent to a ##50 -100 prospect in all the minors), plus something else. They are a little thin on position prospects above high A. There may be a buy cheap opportunity on Michael Bowden.