According to MLB.com’s Bill Ladson, the Nationals have added Peter Bourjos to the list of center fielders they’re scouting ahead of the trade deadline. The others: Michael Bourn, Colby Rasmus, Denard Span and B.J. Upton.
The Nationals are thinking the Angels may view Bourjos as expendable with Mike Trout hot on his heels. The Angels are pretty much locked into having Torii Hunter and Vernon Wells back in the outfield corners and Bobby Abreu at DH again next season, so there wouldn’t seem to be any room for both Bourjos and Trout in the everyday lineup.
Still, it doesn’t seem likely that the Angels will part with Bourjos now. He’s a better player than Trout at the moment, and the Halos have postseason aspirations. Bourjos has hit .265/.315/.388 with 11 steals this season and he’s as good of a defensive center fielder as their in baseball, so he’s a well above average regular. Since he’s not going to be a free agent until after 2016, he’s a more valuable property than Bourn, Span or Upton and maybe even Rasmus, given that Rasmus is still struggling to fulfill his potential.
