Desmond moves on to Rangers, leaves legacy with Nationals

Ian Desmond has reportedly agreed to a one-year deal worth $8 million with the Texas Rangers. Since Texas already has a shortstop, Desmond is likely to start the season as a left fielder. The Rangers travel to Baltimore to face the Orioles from Aug. 2-4. The Nationals will receive a compensation pick for Desmond in the 2016 First-Year Player Draft. The Nationals currently have selections No. 29 (Jordan Zimmermann compensation) and No. 58 in the first two rounds. The Tigers must forfeit their second-round pick.

The Mets pick up the No. 31 selection from the Nationals for Daniel Murphy. The Nationals forfeit a first-round pick. Later, the Nationals have pick No. 94. There are 40 rounds scheduled for the draft.

Desmond won a Silver Slugger Award in three consecutive seasons from 2012 to 2014. He was a National League All-Star in 2012. In 2010, he was rated the No. 4 Nationals prospect by Baseball America.

Desmond and Alfonso Soriano are the only players in D.C. baseball history to hit at least 20 homers and steal at least 20 bases in the same season. Desmond did it three times (2012, 2013 and 2014). This past season he came up one homer short of reaching the 20 home run plateau for the fourth consecutive season.

He played in at least 154 games in five of the past six seasons from 2010 to 2015. For all the injuries other players have gone through with the Nationals during that span, that is an incredible run. He played through injuries, nicks and scrapes, not feeling great at times and still played at least 95.06 percent of the Nationals' games five times since 2010. Quite a record run. Something to think about as the team moves on in 2016 to most likely Danny Espinosa or Trea Turner.

* There are five left-handed pitchers on the early camp roster:

Grant Borne
Matt Crownover
Taylor Guilbeau
Taylor Hearn
Tyler Watson

First look is at Borne. Last season, Borne, at 6-foot-5, 205 lbs. out of Nicholls State, pitched 15 games with five starts for 47 2/3 innings for short-season Single-A Auburn. He is a candidate to begin the season at low Single-A Hagerstown. The seventh-round selection from 2015 will be 22 on April 6.