Washington Nationals, Chicago White Sox MLB Trade Rumors: White Sox Want Pedro Severino in David Robertson Deal
For weeks now, the Washington Nationals have been trying to acquire Chicago White Sox closer David Robertson. Talks have seemingly stalled out a week ago, but ESPN's Jayson Stark said the two sides may head back to the negotiating table after the Nationals signed catcher Matt Wieters.
With Wieters in the fold, the Nationals can now dangle Derek Norris as trade bait in the deal for Robertson. The White Sox have been looking for a catcher, but according to MLB.com's Phil Rogers, they don't want Norris. Instead, they are asking for catching prospect Pedro Severino. He said the White Sox will probably ship Robertson to the Nationals and give them some salary relief if they can get their hands on Severino.
Severino is one of the Nationals' top prospects in their farm system. They have already sent Lucas Giolito, Dane Dunning and Reynaldo Lopez to the White Sox last December to acquire outfielder Adam Eaton, so they are probably a little hesitant to include another prospect in a deal.
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Outside Pitch MLB's Tim Boyle believes the Nationals should just give them what they want to get Robertson, and he said he doesn't really understand the White Sox interest in Severino.
"It's hard to imagine the White Sox would value Severino so highly. He is not a top 100 prospect like Collins. One hypothesis might be that they are so eager to relieve themselves of Robertson's salary that they are willing to take just about any prospect available. This is no insult to Severino as he has performed well in his limited MLB action," Boyle said in his piece about the potential trade.
Right now, it looks like it's going to be another stalemate unless the Nationals decide to include Severino in the deal. They still need a designated closer and Robertson is one of the best out there.
