The Nationals made plenty of headlines by battling the Red Sox and Yankees in their pursuit of free agent Mark Teixeira, but after the team failed to land the first baseman, its need for a force in the middle of the lineup remains with six weeks to go until spring training starts.
General manager Jim Bowden could try to pursue first baseman/outfielder Adam Dunn, in whom Washington has been rumored to have some interest. But Dunn's propensity for strikeouts has worried the Nationals somewhat, and the Dodgers are also believed to be in heavy pursuit of him. Milton Bradley has also been rumored to be an option, though Washington already has a large supply of both outfielders and temperamental players. The team has also said it has no interest in Manny Ramirez, meaning the options are few in the Nationals' search for a proven power hitter.
Meanwhile, the team is dealing with a stockpile of seven outfielders who could compete for playing time.
The most interesting among the seven might be Lastings Milledge, who was the team's starting center fielder all last season but was dogged by questions about his defensive ability. Bowden hinted in a fan Q-and-A last September that there might be defensive changes in the outfield.
The most likely of those would be moving Milledge to center field, but the 24-year-old also could be the most tradeable commodity Washington has in its outfield.
Washington would likely move Austin Kearns or Wily Mo Pena if offers came up for either player. Newly acquired Josh Willingham is also an option at first base, though the former Marlins left fielder said he is coming to D.C. with the intention of starting in the outfield.
If Bowden doesn't make any moves to shrink the Nationals' supply of outfielders before February, the competition promises to be one of the most interesting parts of spring training.
