Ryan Zimmerman: 5 Teams Who Should Sell the Farm for the Washington Nationals 3B

Ryan Zimmerman has been the cornerstone of the Washington Nationals lineup for years and he wants to stay with the team. However, extension talks between the Nationals and Zimmerman have not been going well.

There is a deadline for the extension talks which was set by Zimmerman and according to Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post, it is not certain if the two sides will reach a deal. Zimmerman is under the Nationals' control until the end of the 2013 season.

Washington just drafted Anthony Rendon would could be the third baseman of the future for the team. It is possible that the Nationals could look to deal Zimmerman to bring in a number of key pieces to help their team be very competitive in two years.

Teams would be willing to sell the farm to get their hands on Zimmerman and a bidding war would likely start if he were to hit the trade market.

Arizona Diamondbacks

Adding Ryan Zimmerman would likely make the Arizona Diamondbacks the favorites in the NL West for a couple of years. They have a few pitchers in their system that the Washington Nationals would certainly be interested in.

Zimmerman would be another outstanding bat for the Diamondbacks and he is an improvement over Ryan Roberts. Facing a lineup that featured Zimmerman, Justin Upton, Stephen Drew and Paul Goldschmidt would be tough for opposing pitchers.

Los Angeles Angels

At the moment the Los Angeles Angels are planning to use Mark Trumbo at third base. If they are able to deal him and bring in Ryan Zimmerman, then they will have gotten a huge upgrade.

The only way that the Angels could be described if they got Zimmerman is as insane. It is hard to believe they would not be World Series favorites for a few years at that point. The Angels have the players to make a deal for Zimmerman.

Chicago Cubs

After losing Aramis Ramirez this winter the Chicago Cubs have a pretty big hole at third base. Ryan Zimmerman could help them fill it.

Trading for Zimmerman would be a huge move that would set the tone for Theo Epstein's tenure with the Cubs. Any deal for Zimmerman would likely need to start with Brett Jackson and Trey McNutt.

Philadelphia Phillies

It would be very unlikely that if the Washington Nationals chose to trade Ryan Zimmerman they would deal him to a team within their own division. That does not mean that the Philadelphia Phillies should not try to go after him.

Zimmerman would absolutely thrive in the bandbox that is Citizens Bank Park. He is a big upgrade over Placido Polanco would greatly increase the Phillies' World Series odds.

Cincinnati Reds

Two of the biggest bats in the National League Central have left the division, so there is an opening at the top of the division that the Cincinnati Reds could potentially fill. Acquiring Ryan Zimmerman would put the Reds in a good position to take the NL Central crown.

Zimmerman would start over Scott Rolen, who is in the last year of his deal. A pairing of Zimmerman and Joey Votto would be an outstanding combination in the Reds lineup. The Reds system took a hit after the Mat Latos trade, but they could still build an intriguing package for Zimmerman around someone like Devin Mesoraco or Billy Hamilton.