[jsarno]

Originally Posted by GTripp0012

Zimmerman is the exact age of player you don't want to be trading if you are the Nats.

You certainly make a point. He's the prime age to develope, problem is you need to start over so that makes Zimmerman the model to which the others will need to look up to. Do you think he's that kind of guy? Is he going to be the veteran leadership the team needs when they rebuild? I think he's worth more in a trade, than in keeping him cause I think his value is high right now after making the all star game even though he didn't deserve to be there. He was only there cause of the rule that every team needs 1. Nonetheless, he made it, therefore his price should be valuable...but maybe I am over estimating the market. Also, keep in mind his age is when most people come up in the majors to make their splash. He came up when he was 20. This is his 5th season.

He's 25.

Just an FYI, he's 24 until September 28th.

Sure, he's likely to enjoy his career year on a team that wins 72 games.

LOL. Are you referring to a future team he will be traded to or this year's team? Cause the Nats are on pace for only 48 wins.

And no, he doesn't play a premium defensive position. But he plays third base incredibly well, and he's the kind of player who can accelerate the rebuilding process.

I actually think a good young 3b is at a premium. Look at the Red Sox for instance, they have stayed with an aging veteran (Lowell) that gets hurt every year. The difference is, Lowell plays GREAT d (although not at his typical level this year) and is a gold glover, something Zimmerman has a lot to learn about, but could easily get there. Right now zim's career fielding % is .961, while the leage average for a 3b is .954. Lowell's vs Zimmerman's 162 game averages on offense are remarkably similar though. Zim has the age factor and would be a great addition to the Sox. He could easily get better if he had the right people around him to teach him. He COULD develope in Washington over time, but if he stays, he will likely be the same slightly above average player he is right now.

The problem with trading guys like Zimmerman for prospects is that you almost certainly are going to wait on a bunch of people to come up and pick up a fraction of the production.

I absolutely agree if your team was a couple peices away, problem is you need talent, and lots of it. The only way to get it is through proper free agent pick ups, the draft, and trades to get youngsters with potential and develope them into stars.

If he was three years older, well, yeah then you have to do something. But he's still improving, and his value isn't at it's highest point, so you hold on to him.

He's not really getting that much better though. He made slight improvements on his batting average. Last year .283, this year .288 (+.005), and his career high was .287, so he's 1 point higher there too. He's on pace for 26 homers, which would be only 2 more than his career high. (4 more than his 162 game average) He's on pace for 97 RBI's which would be 13 fewer than his career high. (only 2 more than his 162 game average) He has grounded into 16 double plays which leads the league, and is on pace for 30 which would be a career high. He also is having a career low in fielding percentage at .953 (which is below the league average for 3b.) Don't get me wrong, I think the kid has talent to develope further, but his minor improvements this year don't mean much to me. He'd benefit from a change of scenary and coaching. I don't think he's going to be much better than what he is right now if he remains in Washington.
Now, if he's traded, and becomes a perennial all star, you will think that nationals did a horrible trade, but it won't calculate the fact that he is not making huge strides while technically in his 5th year in the bigs. Even if you don't count the 20 games in his first year he made the show, this is his 4th season and not making sizable improvements. So sell high while you can. He would be MUCH more valuable to a team that is only a couple peices away than he is to you.
I think the Nationals fans are really big fans of Zimmerman...and rightfully so. He's one of the few bright spots the team has had. That makes it harder to make an objective view of trading him or not. Fact is, the only players that are trade proof are super studs, and excellent pitchers, but even they are not immune. See: Roy Halladay trade rumors, or A-Rod trades. You always do what is best for the orginization as a whole, if Zimmerman doesn't get good value in return, but all means build around him, cause he is a good player. If he does, thank him for his service and wish him the best.