MLB Rumors: Washington Nationals Targeting Brian Dozier, Wade Miley

A couple of names are reportedly on the Washington Nationals' radar in free agents Brian Dozier and Wade Miley. The team still has about $18 million to spend before reaching the luxury tax threshold, and it is no secret that the Nationals may still pursue other players.

As mentioned in a previous post, one of the potential targets of Washington could be a second baseman. With that said, it hardly comes as a surprise that Dozier may enter the fray. He is one of the players linked to the Nationals, the others being DJ LeMahieu and Josh Harrison.

According to Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post, getting LeMahieu is doubtful since he is expected to be the one likely to receive the richest contract in the mix. The team is sorely in need of an upgrade since Howie Kendrick is coming off an injury (ruptured Achilles) and Wilmer Difo is still lacking experience, MLB Trade Rumors suggested.

Should everything fall into place, Dozier could be signed to a one-year deal. He is coming off a not-so-impressive season, managing to rack up a .215/.305/.391 line, the worst full-season mark of his career. It was also his lowest ISO (.175) since 2014. And while there are speculations that he could be handed a $10 million paycheck, critics feel that he could earn more had this been done 12 months ago. There is a risk tied up to signing Dozier, something that the Nationals could gamble on.

As for Miley, the case is a bit different. He was able to rebuild himself while with the Milwaukee Brewers last year, holding a 2.57 ERA/3.59 FIP and a 52.8 percent groundball rate over 80 2/3 frames with the World Series contenders. Unlike Dozier, the 32-year-old innings eater could get a two-year pact worth $12 million.

The Nationals had expressed interest in Miley even before the trade involving Tanner Roark and the signing of Anibal Sanchez. Now, it will be interesting if the Nationals actually push through and deepen talks that could end up in an official signing.

Aside from Dozier and Miley, the Nationals could be looking to add another high-end pitcher in the mix. President of baseball operations Mike Rizzo is reportedly performing due diligence on Yusei Kikuchi of Japan, someone MLB.com says has the potential to be a no. 2 starter in the Major Leagues.

The Japanese pitcher is considered a wildcard bet to land the starting pitcher position of the Nationals and another player to watch out moving forward.