NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. -- The Nationals were one of the most active teams at the Winter Meetings, inquiring about nearly every major name on the free-agent and trade market. General manager Mike Rizzo came into the week with a deep arsenal of prospects at his disposal, some money to spend and the willingness to pull off an aggressive trade.
Rizzo had a plethora of targets -- from White Sox lefty Chris Sale (before he was ultimately traded to the Red Sox) to Pirates center fielder Andrew McCutchen (who appears set to remain in Pittsburgh) -- and he ultimately pulled off a major move, even if it surprised a lot of people around baseball.