The Nick Johnson trade will open up first base and allow Adam Dunn to play there on an everyday basis.  In return we got AA pitcher Aaron Thompson.  Thompson is a former first round pick in 2005 and was named as having the best changeup in the Marlins organization.  He was currently 5-9 with a 4.11 ERA but luckily for him, the Nationals have no need to rush him through the system right now with their surplus of young pitching talent.  Also as a part of this deal, the nationals agreed to send 1.5 million dollars to help cover Nick Johnson’s salary.

The Colorado Rockies shipped RHPs Ryan Mattheus and Robinson Fabian to Washington for LHP Joe Beimel.  I for one am shocked that we were able to move Beimel.  In my opinion, Beimel has not been very effective this year but his history and the Rockies’ need for a lefty in the bullpen made this deal happen.  Mattheus is currently on the disabled list following elbow surgery but he had been solid prior to his injury and Fabian has posted an impressive strikeout to walk ratio in Single A.  As previously mentioned with Thompson, the Nationals have no reason to rush either of these players to the majors and will allow them to develop in the minors until they are 100% ready for the bigs.

Overall I was pleased with the trades because I feel he moved two players that were neccesary to move and received solid value in return.  If I have one complaint, it would be that we did not acquire any young position players.  It’s common knowledge that the Nationals have a ton of young pitching right now but they are incredibly weak in position players in the minors.

Josh Willingham OF

The most valuable player as of right now has to be outfielder Josh Willingham who has been absolutely on fire as of late.  He’s got good power for a corner outfielder who’s also seen his batting average rise over the .300 mark in recent games.  He’s got tremendous value to any team needing production from left field or, at the very worst, a 4th outfielder and big pinch hitter.  He’s recently been linked to the San Francisco Giants who are desperately needing power in their lineup.  One has to think his two grand slam performance against Milwuakee on Monday opened quite a few eyes.  Unfortunately, rumors out of the Nationals front office are that the team has raised their asking price lately to a point that many teams are unwilling to pursue a deal.

Nick Johnson 1B

Nick Johnson has been one of the more consistent bats in the nationals lineup for the past few seasons, hitting for great average while playing solid defense.  He’s coming to the end of his current contract and many would say he’d be attractive to a team needing a boost to their lineup.  If anyone is traded it should probably be Johnson so it can allow Adam Dunn to play first base on an everyday basis.  Johnson has also been linked in potential trades to San Francisco.  In my opinion he would have been a great fit in Boston had they not traded for Adam LaRoche.  You’d have to wonder if Tampa Bay would be interested in balancing Carlos Pena’s power and .220 average with the .300+ average of Nick Johnson.

Adam Dunn OF/1B

The unlikeliest of trade victims but possibly the most attractive.  His raw power would be a boost to any team in their World Series push.  The Nationals have already made it clear that it will take an incredible offer to get them to move Dunn.  If he were to be traded, he could be a great fit in Detroit where he could take over for a struggling Magglio Ordonez or DH.

Joe Beimel RP

I was shocked when I read today that multiple teams have considered trading for Beimel lately.  He’s been one of the shakiest players in our bullpen but teams must feel that a change of scenery would do him some good.  He does have a proven track record and could be a valuable arm for the postseason.  I read that the Dodgers actually considered making a deal for Joe but have instead shifted their focus to Mark Hendrickson of the Orioles.  If the Nationals could get anything for Beimel I’d have to consider it a win, especially considering the amount of young arms we have on this staff.

Those are just four of the players that carry the most trade value in my opinion but even I would be surprised if any of them changed addresses after the deadline is over.