The Washington Nationals’ pursuit of starting pitcher Chris Sale fell short Tuesday, when the Chicago White Sox traded the left-handed ace to the Boston Red Sox for a windfall of top-level prospects.  The Nationals appeared interested enough in Sale to be willing to part with more prospects than they have in past trade negotiations, but their refusal to consider giving up Trea Turner appeared to be a deal breaker. Boston was willing to part with one of baseball’s most promising young players, Yoan Moncada, and three other elite prospects to get three seasons of Sale, one of baseball’s best left-handed pitchers. The Nationals were not willing to do the same.  “We put a lot of effort into it and thought we made a good, valiant effort into acquiring a really good pitcher,” Nationals General Manager Mike Rizzo said. “We fell short.”  Details of the Nationals’ final offer for Sale were unclear, but Turner was never part of it. The Nationals offered four players, two of whom were Victor Robles and Lucas Giolito, according to a person familiar with the situation. The Nationals have plenty of well-regarded young players to offer. Robles, Giolito and pitcher Reynaldo Lopez are considered elite prospects by all the national rankings. Catcher Pedro Severino, infielder Wilmer Difo, right-hander Erick Fedde and others also have drawn interest at times over the past year. Under Rizzo, the Nationals have been reluctant to part with even one high-level prospect, let alone four. But as Rizzo pointed out, the Nationals have not had many opportunities to trade for a pitcher such as Sale.  [Chris Sale trade gives Red Sox a ‘super-rotation’ the American League should fear]  The Nationals did not “need” Sale by any normal definition of the word. Their starting rotation, which had the second-best ERA of any in baseball this past season, returns intact. Questions linger about Stephen Strasburg’s long-term health, Gio Gonzalez’s consistency and Tanner Roark’s sustainability, but Rizzo said Sale’s unique talent motivated the team’s pursuit, more than any sense of necessity.  That chase began weeks ago, Rizzo said, when he and his staff began informal talks with the White Sox. Those talks “ratcheted up” in the days before this week’s winter meetings and continued until Tuesday.  “There’s always that point where you pull the trigger or you back out,” Rizzo said. “We decided the price was too rich for us, and we didn’t get the player.”  The Nationals’ refusal to part with Turner is no surprise. During Rizzo’s tenure, the Nationals have rarely reached, for better or worse. They have been linked to negotiations for various superstars in the past few years, but never reached beyond their stated comfort level to get them. They would not surrender top-tier prospects for closers Craig Kimbrel or Aroldis Chapman at the 2015 trade deadline, nor for Chapman or Andrew Miller at the 2016 deadline. They would not reach financially for Ben Zobrist or Yoenis Cespedes or Mark Melancon in free agency the past two winters.  Advocates praise Rizzo’s impressive trade record as evidence that holding firm prevents destructive roster debacles in the present and the future. Skeptics point to three National League Division Series losses in five years and wonder why the Nationals have not done more to break through, even at the expense of the future.  Rizzo did not budge on Turner, who was one of the best players on a 95-win team for the second half of the season and who is under team control for six more seasons and does not hit arbitration (and therefore a substantial raise) until 2020.The Nationals have plenty of other prospects to deal, and because he did not have to sacrifice inventory for Sale, Rizzo can use it elsewhere.  He confirmed that the Nationals are still discussing a deal for Pirates center fielder Andrew McCutchen, who still seems like a good fit, though Rizzo gave no indication of the progress of those discussions. If the Nationals had met the Pirates’ asking price during talks last week, McCutchen probably already would be a National. It seems one side would have to change previous offers for a deal to happen.  [Boswell: Did the Nats miss a big chance or dodge a bullet by losing out on Chris Sale?]  The Nationals also could put assets toward finding a closer, because Melancon signed with the San Francisco Giants and elite free agents Chapman and Kenley Jansen seem too pricey. Royals closer Wade Davis, for example, could fit. White Sox closer David Robertson also could be a second-tier option, because Sale’s departure likely hastens a South Side selloff, and the teams are so familiar with one another’s systems by now. Adam Eaton, another White Sox trade chip, also could interest the Nationals as a contact-first center fielder under team control through 2019.  “We’ve got a lot of lines in the water,” said Rizzo, who repeated that phrase and others like it when asked about specific available players like Ian Desmond or Stephen Drew. “We’re looking at a lot of different options and avenues to go. We’re very active here, and will continue to be.”  Rizzo entered this offseason hoping to improve in center field, shortstop, and at the back end of the bullpen. Acquiring a center fielder (or a corner outfielder who could bump Bryce Harper to center) would allow the Nationals to improve at shortstop by moving Turner back to his natural position. The Nationals probably would have had pieces to pursue an outfielder or closer even if they had acquired Sale. Now, having lost out on him, they can use their pieces to address the needs they carried to the winter meetings in the first place.
The Nationals would not part with Trea Turner, and therefore could not compete with the Red Sox monstrous offer.