Astros working on trade with Nationals?

For  Astros fans, this has been one of the quietest trade deadline weeks in recent memory. But things might be about to heat up.

Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post reports that the Nats have inquired about Astros relievers. Kilgore also says Houston sent scouts to multiple minor league contests involving Nationals’ prospects over the weekend. Chad Qualls and Tony Sipp are assumed to be the players that Washington (or any other team) is looking to acquire.

This report goes somewhat against what we have been hearing from Jeff Luhnow for the last week or two. Luhnow has gone on the record stating that the players he has been receiving calls about are too valuable and unlikely to be dealt. While the Astros are always willing to listen to offers, the latest from the Luhnow camp suggests the club might be willing to part with a pitcher or two, but would want major league talent in return.

"“We do seem to have an excess of pretty good young starters so we wouldn’t rule anything out,” Luhnow said Monday. “We’d have to get back a big-league piece, preferably a bat, in a package that makes sense for the future and present.” h/t Ken Rosenthal"

Steven Souza (Scott Rovak-USA TODAY Sports)

In all honesty, I don’t think the Nationals are a good match as a trading partner for the Astros. The Nats want relievers and Houston needs offense. With all of the injuries the Nats have been dealing with, I just don’t see how they would be able to meet the Astros’ needs at this time. Players like Michael Taylor, Zach Walters, and Tyler Moore don’t seem like a big upgrade for the Astros.

The one Nationals position player that might be a nice pickup for Houston is Steven Souza. The 25-year old outfielder possesses a nice combination of speed and power (17 HR & 22 SB at AAA Syracuse so far this season). Sousa is the kind of player that might be able to make an immediate impact for the ‘Stros. The question is: would the Nationals be willing to part with him?