MLB Trade Rumors: It's a Three Horse Race for Adam Dunn

With all the talk seemingly centered around guys like Cliff Lee and Roy Oswalt, another big name that will make its rounds around the rumor sheets is current Washington Nationals' first baseman Adam Dunn.

While Dunn has made it well known that he would rather not be traded and would like to sign a contract extension with the Nationals, the likelihood of that seems slim to none at this point.

ESPN's Buster Olney talked about Dunn losing interest in signing an extension over the last few days and cited the fact that the Nationals have no sense of urgency to get anything done.

Not only that, but the team has already approached other teams about their interest in Dunn, so it seems the Nationals aren't going to hang on to him past the trade deadline.

ESPN's Buster Olney reported earlier this morning, "Nationals have had conversations with other teams about possible deals involving Dunn, and it figures they will trade him."

So, with that being said, here are the three most likely destinations for the power hitting first baseman.

Chicago White Sox

The Chicago White Sox, as of a few weeks ago, seemed to be one of the teams that was going hard after Adam Dunn, but the talks seemed to have quieted down since then.

The only problem with the two sides getting a deal done is the fact that Dunn has already made it clear that he does not want to be a full time DH. Not that it's up to Dunn where he goes, but the White Sox have to take that into consideration.

Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports reported last week that the two sides apparently had discussions about sending either Carlos Quentin or Gordon Beckham to Chicago for Dunn.

It wasn't the only time the White Sox and Adam Dunn were linked. Back at the end of June, Joe Crowley of the Chicago Sun-Times reported that the Nationals were willing to part with their first baseman and that several names had been discussed.

Tampa Bay Rays

After Pat Burrell and Hank Blalock were both failures in Tampa Bay, the Rays could look to Adam Dunn to fill both a DH position as well as filling in at first base for Carlos Pena from time to time.

While the Nationals continue to say they're not looking to deal Adam Dunn, they're certainly not hustling on a contract extension for him either.

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

While the White Sox have been hot and cold about their chase of Adam Dunn, the Angels may be the front runner to come sweeping in and grab the first baseman.

Since the freak injury to Kendry Morales, the Angels have been in need of a first baseman and landing Adam Dunn could provide an offensive spark to help them catch the front running Texas Rangers.

I would venture to guess that Dunn wouldn't mind being an Angel for only one reason, which is that he would be able to play first base full time instead of just being a DH.