The final days leading up to the trade deadline might not be terribly active for the Nationals, who already made their big move a week ago.
Washington dealt closer Jon Rauch to the Diamondbacks for second-base prospect Emilio Bonifacio, and that's likely the biggest (and possibly only) deal general manager Jim Bowden will consummate before July 31 rolls around. The Nationals do have several other players they are shopping around as the deadline approaches, most notably catcher Paul Lo Duca, infielder Felipe Lopez and pitchers Odalis Perez and Tim Redding. But interest in those four has been minimal to date.
Lo Duca has experience and a track record as an offensive-minded catcher, but he's struggled through a disappointing season and is now stuck playing first base while Jesus Flores gets the bulk of the starts behind the plate.
Lopez is a former All-Star who has regressed considerably over the last two years. The Nationals have been giving him a lot of playing time, hoping to showcase him to contenders, but he's still hitting .235 while playing shaky defense. His $4.9 million salary is a turnoff as well.
Perez could be helpful to a contending team that needs a veteran left-hander, but he's hurt his cause over the last three weeks by allowing 14 runs and 25 hits in a 15-inning span.
The most attractive candidate might actually be Redding, who leads the Nationals with seven wins and has been very consistent since joining their rotation. He remains affordable with a $1 million salary and won't be eligible for free agency until 2011.
