OXON HILL, Md. — The argument Boston Red Sox general manager Dave Dombrowski made for acquiring pitcher Chris Sale went like this: We are trying to win now, and we have prospect depth, so why not roll some of it out when one of the game’s best pitchers came available?
That’s the same argument the Washington Nationals would have made if they had traded for Sale, a left-handed starter who makes annual appearances at the All-Star Game and in Cy Young voting. Washington has prospects. Its general manager pushed aside a personal reticence that accompanies the idea of trading high-end prospects.