MASN: A Dunn extension and a man of letters

I was told on Monday - off-the-record - that the Nationals were interested in signing Adam Dunn to a contract extension.

Now that it’s out there, I’ll quote someone who’s pretty close to Adam who told me that Dunn’s preference is to play baseball, not play bat.

“Adam really doesn’t want to DH in the American League. He wants to play the field, and believes his first base defense has reached the adequate level. He knows he’s no Gold Glover, but believes that he’ll get better, and is anxious to improve that aspect of his game.”

If you’ve been through the Nats’ clubhouse, it’s pretty clear that Dunn’s a one-for-all, all-for-one kind of guy. His teammates love him. If he’s determined to play in the field - and he’s still in his prime - then he’s got to play in the National League. In another story he described the extension talks as being at the zero stage, and inasmuch as they’ve just started, that’s a fair assessment.