WASHINGTON (CBSDC) — This offseason, Ian Desmond, the last remaining vestige to the Nationals’ Montreal roots, was reportedly nearly traded in-division to the New York Mets.
Desmond, 29, is entering the final year of his contract with Washington, and, according to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports, would have been dealt in a three-team trade had it not been for the Rays’ steep asking price.
The Rays, according to Rosenthal, wanted two of the Mets’ top prospects, including Noah Syndergaard – the Mets’ top prospect – in return for Ben Zobrist and Yunel Escobar.
The Nationals, had that deal gone through, would have gotten Zobrist, who was eventually traded to Oakland along with Escobar, who was eventually flipped again to the Nats.
Desmond, who arrived at the Nationals’ spring training facility on Monday, addressed the trade rumors ahead of what could be his final season as a National.
“You can’t really put too much stock into it because I never really heard from Mike [Rizzo],” he says, according to Bill Ladson. “I never heard from anybody. The only thing I did heard was Matt [Williams] calling me and telling me, ‘You are not getting traded.’”
If he does not re-sign with the Nationals, Desmond, according to Ladson, says he’s going to enjoy the ride: “If it’s my last year here, it’s my last year here. I’m going to enjoy every single day.”
Desmond would add, according to Ladson, “I owe it to everybody here to give my 100 percent concentration and that’s what I’m going to do. All the other stuff is really not going to be talked about. It’s time to go.”
(Thanks to Bill Ladson for sharing.)
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