The Willingham trade and some other intriguing possibilities

by Phil Wood

By now you've heard the details on the trade that sent Josh Willingham to the A's for pitcher Henry Rodriguez and outfielder Corey Brown.

Rodriguez is a strikeout pitcher. He got into 29 games for the 2010 A's with 33 Ks in about 28 innings. He's hit 100 mph on the gun many times, and turns 24 in February.

Brown was a star at Oklahoma State before being drafted by Oakland with the 59th overall pick in 2007. He's considered a five-tool player, left-handed all the way and just turned 25.

It's a pretty good return for Willingham, who did a good job the two years he spent in Washington. It gives the Nationals another right-handed option out of the bullpen, and some protection in center should there be any issues with Nyjer Morgan's performance.

A couple of other notes:

The Nationals are reportedly interested in free agent outfielder Rick Ankiel. Ankiel, who hit 25 home runs for the Cardinals in 2008, played with the Royals and Braves in 2010, batting .232-6-24 in 74 games. He'd be a spare outfielder, a pinch hitter, pinch runner, and positive clubhouse presence. One aspect of what I believe Mike Rizzo and Jim Riggleman are trying to do is establish a cadre of players who are completely averse to losing. Ankiel is known to be one of those guys who don't take losing lightly, not unlike the reputation Jayson Werth brings from Philadelphia.

When the dust settles, Derrek Lee may - emphasis on may - be the new Washington first baseman, for very similar reasons. The Nats seem to discount Lee's 2010 season, inasmuch as his thumb injury impacted his ability to swing the bat. Still, .260-19-80 aren't bad numbers, but they feel he's capable of much better, plus he's willing to sign a short-term deal, a big plus given his age, 35. Lee is also known as a player who takes losing hard. I'm thinking Riggleman won't mind seeing equipment fly when things go awry in 2011.