With Morgan, the Nationals receive a speedy outfielder that by all accounts is as good in the clubhouse as anyone. Morgan is a plus-defender, and his offense was coming around as well. In his last eight games, he has five multi-hit efforts. Morgan was hitting well over .400 in the last week. Add to that, speed is not going to be an issue here. He already had 18 stolen bases.

 

Morgan is still worth owning in deeper leagues, and his speed will still be a major part of his game. Look for him to be able to hit near .280 the rest of the way, provide minimal power, but create runs and steal bases. That is what he was brought in to do.

 

He should slide right into the center field spot for Washington. That would leave Adam Dunn in left and a platoon between Josh Willingham and Willie Harris in right. The Nationals also have Elijah Dukes, who was outrighted to the minors, and Austin Kearns in the rotation as well.

 

Kearns has basically played himself out of a job. Batting under .200 in 58 games will do that to a guy. The Nationals brought him in believing that he would be able to hit and thinking that his defense would be good enough to do the job in a platoon situation. Kearns did not adapt well to the partial playing time, and is relegated to fourth or fifth outfielder status.

 

Harris was playing solid defense for the Nationals in center field, but that is not where he is most comfortable. He had started the last ten games, and had been a decent surprise in NL-only formats. Harris has hit .292 in his last seven games, proving worthy of the time. Still, prior to this run, he had been splitting time with Dukes.

 

Dukes was sent down by Washington following the completion of the trade. The play of Willingham and Harris gave the Nationals flexibility, and Dukes has not proven to be ready. His June was awful, as he hit just .198 for the month. The speed has been almost non-existent, as he has been caught nearly four times as often as he has been successful (two out of nine).

 

Where he is hitting only .244 and not producing the power numbers of Dunn, it was the only move Washington had available to them to make. That is why something else still has to be on the radar screen.

 

The question now is how the Nationals approach the trading deadline. Dunn and Willingham have both been rumored to be involved multiple deals. Dunn has more value because of the home runs, but Willingham is a more “balanced” player. Not complete, mind you, balanced.

 

He has turned it on of late, batting .500 in his last six games and showing flashes of the power he displayed in Florida. Willingham has the ability to hit 20 home runs and drive in 75, but it will require regular playing time. A move would likely hurt his value, as he is more slated to become an extra outfielder for most contenders than a starter.

 

Dunn is the starting left fielder regardless of the situation. He is the least impacted out of anyone in Washington by this deal.

 

Lastings Milledge is a wild card. If you read pre-draft hype, he was supposed to be the guy to get on track this season. Injuries have certainly been a problem, but even the team he is going to has questions about his maturity level. Milledge has the tools to be successful; he just needs to put it all together.

 

Pittsburgh is likely looking to use him everyday once he gets ready to go and proves he can handle the requirements of the job. It is too early to give up on a young player with such talent, but the season is likely more a lost cause than anything else.

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Tags: Nyker Morgan  Lastings Milledge  Adam Dunn  Austin Kearns  Elijah Dukes  Josh Willingham  Willie Harris