Cleveland Indians should trade for the Washington Nationals first round selection.

Several years ago, the Indians GM Mark Shapiro and the Montreal Expos GM Omar Minaya made a trade involving All Star pitcher Bartolo Colon going to the Montreal Expos for Grady Sizemore, Cliff Lee, and Brandon Phillips. Lee and Sizemore have made the All Star game and Brandon Phillips probably came close the last couple of years as a Cincinnati Red.

Montreal has since morphed into the Washington Nationals, but perhaps the Washington Nationals would be interested in another block buster trade with the Cleveland Indians and Mark Shapiro, this time trading their number one pick for several prospects/vets.

The Indians have a situation in which they could actually field two teams of equal caliber. While some may question just what that caliber may be, It is pretty evident that very poor pitching has plundered what would have been at least a .500 team this year plus Jake Westbrook set to return by July for a second half run.

The Indians can still make a run in the A.L. Central, the key being if they can handle Detroit in their remaining head to head games.

Would the Nationals be interested in the Indians number 15 pick, plus major league ready prospect centerfielder Brantley, pitcher Rondon, plus vets DeRosa and Shoppach? The Nationals actually have some decent talent on their team, however half of their everyday roster is 30 years or older, and a couple of the just under thirty, Dunn and Kearns, don't run that well.

Shoppach would be a natural at catcher, Brantley is a very smart centerfielder, with speed and OBP skills, pitcher Hector Rondon appears major league ready, and DeRosa is a solid player on pace to drive in a hundred runs this year and play both the infield and the outfield. Plus the Indians would also give up their 15th pick as well. That's five quality players for the right to Stephen Strassburg.

The players being traded would actually fill in some of Washington's weakest areas.

However, if the Indians and Nationals constructed a trade for the 2009 major league draft tomorrow, could the Cleveland Indians could they afford Boras's contract, and does including pitcher Rondon, who is almost major league ready, make the trade too one-sided in favor of the Nationals ?