Last year the Nationals snookered the Twins into giving up a stud catching prospect for the most replaceable of all commodities, the Proven Closer. But Matt-Capps for Wilson Ramos was one of those once-in-a-lifetime brain farts, right? Surely Bill Smith and the Twins aren’t going to do something like that again, right?
Maybe! While it was reported yesterday that the Nationals -- the Nationals! -- were unwilling to trade their closer, Drew Storen, for center fielder Denard Span, Ken Rosenthal reports that talks are still ongoing along those lines. It may be sweeter than a straight swap, however, as Rosenthal says that Roger Bernadina, the career .243/.308/.360 hitter, may be included.
I’ll grant that Storen is better than Capps and that, because he’s injured right now, Span is not at a career high point. But really, if the Nationals are able, for the second straight year, to trade a closer to the Twins for a solid player at a scarce defensive position, the Twins may as well just be disbanded by force or placed in protective custody so that they can do more harm to themselves or others.
