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5 trades Washington Nationals must make to get past Chicago Cubs

By Dan Schmelzer

Apr 4, 2016; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Colorado Rockies outfielder Carlos Gonzalez against the Arizona Diamondbacks during Opening Day at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 4, 2016; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Colorado Rockies outfielder Carlos Gonzalez against the Arizona Diamondbacks during Opening Day at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /
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Edwin Encarnacion
May 6, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Blue Jays designated hitter Edwin Encarnacion (10) hits a ground rule double during the eighth inning in a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Rogers Centre. The Toronto Blue Jays won 5-2. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports /

Edwin Encarnacion, 1B, Toronto Blue Jays

It seems incredibly unlikely that the Toronto Blue Jays will be able to hang on to both Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion when they become free agents after this season. Instead of losing one (or both) of these guys for nothing, the Blue Jays would be wise to get a jump on this by trading Edwin Encarnacion before the trade deadline.

If Toronto is right in the thick of the playoff race at the time, this deal may be difficult to make. That being said, at 16-17 in the tough American League East, they may not be competitive this season anyway.

Encarnacion is an incredibly powerful right-handed hitter who would offer immediate production to Harper in the Nationals’ lineup. Plus, his right-handed bat would fit well in a lefty-heavy Nationals’ middle of the order. Adding Encarnacion would be an impressive power move that could vault the Nationals all the way to the top.

He is an incredibly talented hitter, but finding a place to play Encarnacion could be an issue for the Nationals. Simply plugging him at first base over Ryan Zimmerman would be the most likely scenario, but is Zimmerman really that washed up? Obviously he is not offering proper protection to Harper, and the Nationals need to find someone who would allow Harper some pitches to hit.

The Cubs found a way to beat the Nationals by simply not allowing their best player to beat them. The rest of the league is going to take not and most will adopt a similar strategy. If the Nationals do not step up and make a major move to fix this, they are going to be in trouble.

If Encarnacion is the guy to get and that means trading or sitting Zimmerman, then so be it. The Nationals simply must find a productive power hitter to place behind Harper in their lineup. If not, they can forget about beating the Cubs in a post season series.

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