Throughout the offseason, we'll be taking a look at the top news and rumors from the Hot Stove League.
THE RUMOR: The Nationals are moving on from acquiring Brandon Phillips from the Reds and are pursuing other options, including free agents Howie Kendrick and Daniel Murphy.
REPORTED BY: Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal
THE DETAILS: While the Reds want to ship Phillips and his $27 million contract over the next two seasons, trade talks between the Reds and Nats fizzled Saturday as Phillips apparently is unwilling to waive his 10-and-5 rights and approve a trade to a new team. There's a chance the talks revive, Rosenthal says, but the Nats don't want to wait around and miss out on the only top free-agent options remaining in Kendrick and Murphy.
MORE: Top 14 remaining free agents | Offseason needs for each team
LAST SEASON: Kendrick batted .295/.336/.409 with nine home runs, 54 RBIs, six stolen bases in 117 games on a $9.85 million salary. Murphy hit .281/.322/.449 with 14 home runs, 73 RBIs and two stolen bases in 130 games. The former Mets second baseman hit seven homers in nine postseason games and was named the NLCS MVP in a sweep of the Cubs, but came back to earth in the World Series. The postseason showed the full scope of Murphy, a notoriously streaky hitter.
OUR TAKE: After trading Yunel Escobar (Angels) and likely losing Ian Desmond to free agency, the Nationals plan to move Anthony Rendon back to third base next season, with Ryan Zimmerman settling in at first, and top prospect Trea Turner at shortstop. That leaves a need at second. Ben Zobrist (Cubs), Asdrubal Cabrera (Mets) and Chase Utley (Dodgers) are off the board, and the free-agent talent at second drops off pretty quick to the likes of Stephen Drew, Maicer Izturis and Kelly Johnson. The Nats need to move quickly to fill their infield hole.
Kendrick battled injuries in 2015, but his slash line is right in line with his 10-year career average of .293/.333/.423. The second baseman was acquired by the Dodgers after nine years with the Angels. Kendrick isn't a flashy player, but his 162-game averages of 12 homers, 75 RBIs and 14 stolen bases make him one of the most consistent players available. He also gets it done on defense with a .986 fielding percentage over 10 seasons at second base.
MORE: Eight possible destinations for Daniel Murphy
Murphy got off to a slow start in 2015, hitting just .198 through April, but turned it around with a red-hot summer that carried over to his record-setting postseason. The seven homers in the postseason may be an anomaly, however, as Murphy has never hit more than 15 homers in the regular season over seven years with the Mets. He's still a .288/.331/.424 career hitter and the hardest batter to strike out in baseball, but his below-average defense may scare away teams from using him at second on an everyday basis.
Another option for the Nats is to trade for a player entering the final year of his contract. The 2017 free-agent market is underwhelming, but a name that stands out is Martin Prado, who is a career .291/.339/.425 hitter and can play a variety of positions for the oft-injured Nationals.