According to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports, the Nationals and Reds are discussing a deal for second baseman Brandon Phillips. Phillips has a no trade clause in his contract, but he could waive it to join Washington if a trade were to go through.
He is owed $13 million dollars in 2016 and $14 million in 2017, which are the two finals years of his contract.
With the Nationals looking for upgrades at second, Phillips is a certainly an appealing target. Phillips, 34, remains a solid player at his position despite being in the later stages of his career. He batted .294/.328/.395 with 12 homeruns and 70 RBI in 623 plate appearances this year, and had a 2.6 WAR according to Fangraphs. He is also still a good defender on defense as his +2 UZR rating shows.
Rosenthal also reports that another possibility for the Nationals is former Met Kelly Johnson. Johnson slashed .250/,304/.414 in 138 plate appearances with the Mets in 2015, and posted a .750 OPS in 335 plate appearances overall.
