Washington Nationals: Sources Say Bryce Harper Is Not Long-Term Answer in CF

MLB.com's Bill Ladson gave us an interesting tidbit of information on Friday, citing an unnamed baseball source that told him that there's a feeling with the Washington Nationals that Bryce Harper is not the answer in center field.

The source also stated that the Nationals still have interest in Peter Bourjos of the Angels and Denard Span of the Twins, both of whom could likely be had at the deadline.

However, the source finished by saying that there have been no talks between any of the aforementioned teams and that he wouldn't be surprised if a deal didn't happen until the offseason.

So, what should we make of this?

For one, I agree with the fact that Harper should not be the center fielder of the future. While he is a fantastic athlete with speed and an absolute cannon for an arm, his skill set is best suited for a corner outfield position.

Throw in the fact that he's only going to get bigger—he's already 6'3", 215 pounds—and his body simply won't fit in center anymore.

He's made one error in center field this season—compared to two in right field—but he's still learning how to play the outfield at the major league level.

Secondly, I also think that looking to acquire Bourjos or Span would be a good move for the Nationals, as long as they don't have to give up top-tier talent from the minors.

While Ian Desmond has been hitting the cover off the ball lately, he's not your prototypical leadoff hitter. He doesn't get on base nearly enough—.293 OBP so far this season—and strikes out a ton. He's fanned 46 times to date.

Bourjos hasn't seen regular at-bats in the Angels outfield with the emergence of Mike Trout, so it's likely he could be a relatively cheap option.

Value-wise, I'd rather trade for Bourjos.

If it takes a little more to get Span, though, I think the Nationals really have to consider it. He's far and away a better center fielder and hitter than Bourjos, and he's even under team control through 2015.

In the end, we'll likely see Harper manning center for most of this season—at least until Jayson Werth returns.

After that, it'll be interesting to see what general manager Mike Rizzo decides to do with his club in the offseason.