Washington Nationals reportedly targeting Wei-Yin Chen

The Washington Nationals spent much of last week discussing a potential trade with the Cincinnati Reds for second baseman Brandon Phillips. The talks ended, however, when Phillips would not agree to waive his 10/5 no-trade rights, reportedly because he wanted a contract extension as a condition to approve the deal.

While the Nationals will likely continue their search for a second baseman (FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal posits free agents Howie Kendrick and Daniel Murphy as other possibilities), the team is apparently focusing on starting pitching as well.

Bill Ladson of MLB.com reports that Washington is interested in lefty starter Wei-Yin Chen, previously of the Baltimore Orioles.

It would behoove the Nats to think about their rotation, especially over the next couple of years. As Ladson notes, Jordan Zimmermann – who was a consistent and quality mound presence for the club during the past several seasons – departed to sign with the Detroit Tigers.

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Though he struggled through injury and ineffectiveness in 2015, Doug Fister is also a free agent and not expected to be back.

Some expected Washington to field offers for Stephen Strasburg as well, and though it seems very unlikely he will be moved this offseason, his own free agency is rapidly approaching. He’ll hit the market after the 2016 campaign.

Max Scherzer had a Cy Young-caliber first season in a Nationals uniform and figures to anchor the rotation for years to come. But if the Nats want to remain competitive in the NL East and match up confidently against the Mets’ stellar young arms, they will need to attend to their own pitching staff.

Chen could be a solid piece for Washington to slot into the middle of its rotation. The 30-year-old is coming off another strong season for the Orioles in which he posted a 3.34 ERA over 191.1 innings, along with the best ERA+ (124) of his career.

Over his four years in Major League Baseball, Chen sports a 46-32 record, 3.72 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 3.18 K/BB – decent numbers considering he pitched in the offensively-inclined AL East.

Chen will let runners on base, though, and has been somewhat homer-prone during his career, meaning a large, pitcher-friendly ballpark would probably be the most suitable new home for him. Nationals Park ranks in the middle of the pack in terms of offensive production, meaning it likely wouldn’t affect Chen’s numbers too much.

With the biggest (and priciest) names already signed, hurlers like Chen, Scott Kazmir and Mike Leake are all starting to receive more attention. Chen or someone of his caliber would likely go a long way toward shoring up the middle of the Nationals rotation and filling some of the vacancy left by Zimmermann.

Of course, contract details may be a hurdle. While Chen will cost nowhere near as much as some of the monster deals handed out to elite starting pitchers this winter, he and agent Scott Boras are reportedly holding out for a pact in the realm of five years and $100 million.

Next: Dodgers still seeking rotation help

According to Ladson, the Nationals are hesitant to go to a fifth year on Chen. If they relent or Boras’ asking price comes down, an agreement could become much more likely.

For some other possibilities, check out our list of five potential destinations for Chen from earlier this offseason.