Washington Nationals: Why Are They Pursuing Ryan Dempster?

The Washington Nationals are out to prove that they are one of the best teams in baseball by seriously pursuing Chicago Cubs pitcher Ryan Dempster according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.

You have to initially wonder why the Nationals feel they need more pitching. After all, they already have one of the best rotations in baseball. Why wouldn't they try to work on an area of weakness and improve that?

One possible answer is the fact that Stephen Strasburg is nearing his hypothetical innings limit. Of course, he isn't thrilled about that cap, but since it is dictated by management, they obviously need to make preparations to deal with the situation.

Dempster would be a great candidate to fill that potential hole. He is currently 5-3 with a 1.86 ERA. Of course, if he played for anybody but the Chicago Cubs, that winning percentage would almost definitely improve.

Besides the obvious on the field benefits of this trade, it would also show the world that the Nationals are serious. At the deadline, all serious contenders buy and try to improve. By joining this general trend, the Nationals would be demonstrating that they have finally emerged from mediocrity and are ready to dominate.

The competition for Dempster will understandably be high, but this moves make an awful lot of sense for the Nationals as they look to finish this season on a high note.

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