Why aren't Jim Bowden and the Washington Nationals getting more attention this winter?  Yesterday's Washington Times reported the team is seeking trades to land a first baseman, and, coming up empty, could jump into the free agent market for the likes of Adam Dunn, Jason Giambi and Mark Teixeira.

While Giambi and Dunn look like possibilities to take more money to be a National than a competitive team would offer, the idea of the Nationals being serious bidders for the services of 1B Mark Teixeira strains plausibility.  But Buster Olney of ESPN.com reported this:

The Nationals are preparing to make a significant offer to Mark Teixeira; we'll see how they compete with offers made by the Angels, Yankees and Red Sox.

One wouldn't imagine Nats' ownership allowing GM Jim Bowden being able to add a third $5+ MM 1B, but, maybe, just maybe, if you suspend disbelief and accept that the Nats could make the $120+ MM offer to Teixeira, this could work.

With Teixeira in the fold, the Nationals could then offer 1B Nick Johnson to either of the bigger market teams that needed Teixeira to plug a hole at 1B - the New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.  Whether Johnson can hit with power or stay healthy is secondary to the high-OBP band-aid he could apply to either team's short term needs at 1B.

The question would then be whether Bowden would accept a middling pitching prospect for Johnson or if he'd go all Alfonso Soriano on either team and ask for the world.