The Washington Nationals lost their closer from the end of last season, as Mark Melancon has agreed to a deal to become the newest San Francisco Giants ninth-inning man. However, they could be stepping up their efforts to land a big-name starter instead.
The Nationals are stepping up their attempts to land Chicago White Sox ace Chris Sale, and may not be the only team doing so. The Boston Red Sox, among others, also remain involved.
Both the Nationals and Red Sox appear to have the prospect wealth to make such a deal happen. While the Nationals are unlikely to be convinced to part ways with Trea Turner, they have several other highly-ranked prospects that could be made available, including Lucas Giolito (MLB Pipeline #3), Victor Robles (#10), Reynaldo Lopez (#37), and Erick Fedde (#75).
Washingtons interest in not just Sale, but other potentially-available stars, has been noted before.
The Red Sox also remain an intriguing option as another team with a large stock of prospects, though the availability of those prospects remains in question. Yoan Moncada, the top prospect in all of baseball, leads a list that also includes Andrew Benintendi (#5), Rafael Devers (#16), Jason Groome (#30), and Michael Kopech (#67), a flame-throwing right-hander who impressed during the years Arizona Fall League.