White Sox reportedly targeting Nationals slugger Adam Dunn

Last week general manager Mike Rizzo said the Nationals were “looking into” a contract extension for impending free agent Adam Dunn and “have been talking about it since spring training.” Dunn has made it clear that he’d like to remain in Washington beyond his current two-year, $20 million contract, but my sense has been that the Nationals aren’t sure if they really want to make a long-term commitment to an over-30, should-be designated hitter. All of which is why today’s report from Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times that the White Sox are pursuing a trade for Dunn is no shocker. They looked like a team in turmoil and were seemingly on the verge of selling off their own veterans just a few weeks ago, but after starting the season 24-33 the White Sox have won 15 of 18 games to pull within two games in the AL Central. Chicago’s impressive run has been based mostly on excellent starting pitching, as the offense ranks just 10th in scoring. Production from the designated hitter spot has been particularly bad, with a rotating cast of eight different players led by Mark Kotsay and Andruw Jones combining to hit just .218 with a .293 on-base percentage and .371 slugging percentage in 66 games. In other words, Dunn would be a perfect fit. Dunn tends to be underrated by people who focus on his strikeouts and overrated by people who ignore his bad defense, but his overall production has been outstanding regardless of how often he’s made contact and moving to the AL would allow him to ditch the glove entirely. Dunn is on pace for a seventh straight year with 35-plus homers and ranks eighth in the NL with a .925 OPS that’s just slightly above his .904 career mark. White Sox general manager Ken Williams has a long history of bold moves and adding Dunn at a spot where the team has been among the worst in baseball would make a huge impact.