"As the Nationals slide further toward irrelevance in the standings, their veteran players will draw more and more consideration as trade pieces. The most prominent might be veteran Ivan Rodriguez, a Hall of Fame caliber catcher still playing elite defense at 39 who is the final year of his contract.

The Nationals, though, will not part with him for a pittance, and they are not actively seeking out a trade for him. General Manager Mike Rizzo made clear today, in a phone conversation with Boz, that it will not be easy to trade Rodriguez.

"To move him, it would have to be a good deal that helps us long term, not a quick fix trade for offense to get us to the time when Ryan Zimmerman is back," Rizzo said. "Pudge would be a big piece for a contending team if they needed a catcher."

Rodriguez, hitting .211/.259/.342, has seen his playing time steadily diminish as he has become the backup for rookie Wilson Ramos. Rodriguez has started five of the Nationals' last 15 games. "