Ian Desmond is drawing strong trade interest, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The Nationals want starters and, other than Cliff Lee and Carl Pavano, the free agent pitching class has thinned out considerably. The free agent shortstop class is similarly weak, so Desmond is in demand.
Washington isn’t looking to trade Desmond, but they could part with him for a young pitcher with comparable service time, Rosenthal says. The 25-year-old batted .269/.308/.392 in 2010, his first full season. With just over one year of service time to his name, Desmond is still five years away from free agency.