The Washington Nationals have traded veteran starter Jason Marquis to the Arizona Diamondbacks this afternoon in exchange for Single-A shortstop Zach Walters, a ninth round pick in the 2010 draft.  The deal has not been announced by the team, but it is official according to multiple sources.

Marquis, 32, went 8-5 with a 3.95 ERA in 20 starts.  He will become a free agent at the end of the year and will not qualify for even Type-B free agency, meaning the Nationals would not have received compensation should he sign with another team.  Reports indicate Arizona was willing to assume the remainder of Marquis' salary this season, saving the Nats over $2.5 million.

Walters, a 21 year old middle infielder, was hitting .302/.377/.485 with Single-A South Bend, playing shortstop primarily, but also appearing at second and third base.  In 166 career minor league games, Walters has hit .302/.360/.465.  This is the second position player today the Nats have picked up with good on-base skills, joining OF Erik Komastu, acquired for Jerry Hairston Jr earlier in the day from the Milwaukee Brewers.

Marquis was due to start for the Nationals in tonight's game with the New York Mets.  His spot will be taken tonight by Yunesky Maya.  Maya went 0-1 with a 6.86 ERA in four starts earlier this season with the Nats.  But manager Davey Johnson indicated in his post-game press conference last night and reiterated today that the team may recall some younger arms from the minors after the trade deadline shakes out, including RHP Brad Peacock and LHP Tom Milone.

Major League sources are still indicating that the Nationals continue to be involved in talks for a Major League center fielder, with Denard Span of the Twins and Michael Bourn of the Astros the most likely targets.  Sources have indicated the Nats have been reluctant to include young, team-controlled closer Drew Storen in a deal for Span, but with Rick Ankiel the only center fielder on the Nats roster, speculation is running rampant at Nats Park and on the Internet.

For the first time in three years, the Washington Nationals do not have the No. 1 overall pick in MLB's Amateur Draft.  That's a good thing, because unlike in 2009 and 2010, there's not one clear-cut consensus No. 1 talent.  Stephen Strasburg and Bryce Harper were household names much before the draft even took place, and their selections were only clouded by how much money the Nationals were going to have to pony up to get them signed in the wake of failing to get 2008 first round pick Aaron Crow under contract.

The Nationals own the No. 6 overall pick, along with the No. 23 and No. 34 in compensation for losing Adam Dunn to free agency last off-season.

This year, the pre-draft thinking is that there are a half-dozen players that could go in just about any order in the first six picks of the draft, so the Nats envision one of those players being available to them when they make their selection.

As things stand several hours before the draft (tonight at 7:00 pm), most conventional wisdom has the Pittsburgh Pirates selecting UCLA right-hander Gerrit Cole with the No. 1 overall pick.  Cole is big and has a great pedigree, but has posted just mediocre numbers his junior year and just may be suffering from draft fatigue.

The Seattle Mariners at No. 2 have been linked to Rice 3B Anthony Rendon, but shoulder problems this season have teams wary of the best college bat (and plus-defender) in the draft.

After that, though, it's a total crapshoot.

Danny Hultzen, a left-handed pitcher from Univ. of Virginia (and St. Alban's), is one of the most polished pitchers in the draft, though he doesn't own the upside of some of the power arms in this draft.  He will probably be the quickest to the majors though, with No. 2 starter potential. 

Another college pitcher high on draft boards is UCLA RHP Trevor Bauer.  Bauer had a ridiculous season and has moved up the draft boards accordingly.  But the slight (6'2", 185) righty has a funky delivery and borderline bizarre pre-game routines, and often throws long-toss on days he pitches. He's also had a heavy workload this year, throwing 120 pitches at least five times and has thrown eight straight complete games.

There are three high schoolers in the top of this draft as well, two pitchers and a center fielder.

Dylan Bundy, right-handed pitcher from Oklahoma, has been called the best high school pitcher in this draft with good command of his 95-MPH fastball.  The knock: he's only 6'0" and there's concern he could end up a reliever.  Archie Bradley is another Oklahoma high school pitcher, and at 6'3", 215 he looks more the part.  But he also has a commitment to play QB at Univ. of Oklahoma in the fall.

Perhaps the most intriguing player of the early picks is Kansas high school outfielder Derek (Bubba) Starling.  Starling is 6'4", 180, and appears to be the only true five-star athlete in this draft.  He's another two-sport star and is committed to playing QB and CF at Univ. of Nebraska next year, so his selection will probably come with a big price tag.  Many scouts compare Starling to Josh Hamilton as a high schooler.

There are a few other college arms that round out the Top Ten in this draft, and if the Nats are looking for a signability pick, they could go in that direction.  Alex Meyer (RHP U. of Kentucky), Taylor Jungmann (RHP, U. of Texas), Matt Barnes (RHP, U. of Connecticut), and Jed Bradley (LHP, Ga Tech) are some other options available.

The Nationals have been linked to several of the names above, most prominently Hultzen, Bauer, Starling and Meyer.  Bauer's performance this season has elevated him into the top half-dozen picks and at one point, Hultzen was on Pittsburgh's radar with the No. 1 overall, so it would be surprising to see either fall to the Nats at No. 6 at this point.  Even then, if the Nats have to choose between Hultzen and Starling, many draft pundits still see the Nats taking the five-tool Starling.

Prediction: GM Mike Rizzo has shown a preference in the last several drafts for selecting near MLB-ready college pitchers, so it would be no surprise if he followed suit in this draft, which is heavy with college pitchers early.  But it's hard not to think about Starling lining up next to Bryce Harper in the outfield for the foreseeable future for the Nats. 

I think given the option, Rizzo takes the five-tool Starling and gets his college pitchers with the Nos. 23 and 34 picks later in the first round. There are some mock drafts even having Meyer falling to the No. 23.  There is no protection for the later picks, so whoever Rizzo selects he'll have to feel comfortable he can get them under contract.

What I don't anticipate the Nationals doing is selecting a high school pitcher at No. 6.  If all of Hultzen, Bauer and Starling are gone at that point, I think Rizzo would opt for one of the other college pitchers, starting with the 6'9" Meyer.

BULLET-POINT STYLE!

• From www.Nationals360.com, OF Bryce Harper talked to Byron Kerr about his visions for the future of the Washington Nationals. 

"We're going to be the Yankees of the NL East.  I've been telling everybody that.  I think we're going to be the top program in the NL East, and we're going to roll.  We're going to win some World Series.  That's everybody's goal.  [Nationals minor league coordinator] Bobby Henley preached that from day one - we're going to win the NL East one day.  I really believe we're going to do that.  Hopefully we bring a couple World Series to Washington DC."

• This article discussed the possibility of the Detroit Tigers making a big push for Adam Dunn in the off-season.  The Tigers may -- or may not -- be interested in Dunn, but this article is really just mindless specualtion by a columnist trying to fill digital inches in his online newspaper.
• Sounds like Yu Darvish is staying in Japan.  Good for him.
• This guy would look awful good as the right-handed hitting platoon in CF and nice bat off the bench next season for the Nats.  Just sayin'.
• Cliff Lee keeps adding zeros to the end of the number on his next contract.