S.I. : Heyman: Nats GM in trouble, Rox on the block, pitchers who’ll get paid

Latest from the suddenly poochless Heyman…

As for Bowden, a person is innocent until proven guilty, of course, and all Bowden is guilty of to this point is a string of baseball mistakes that appear to have left the Nationals years from contention, from the failure to sign the talented Crow to acquiring players of questionable character such as Elijah Dukes to locking up not one but two first basemen with chronic health issues (Nick Johnson is injury prone while Dmitri Young’s diabetes is no small concern) to fielding a team with only one major-league average position player (third baseman Ryan Zimmerman).

Several competing GMs criticized the Nationals for trading productive reliever Jon Rauch in a market bereft of bullpen stars for second-base prospect Emilio Bonifacio, a speed and glove man who one scout said “will struggle with the breaking ball.’’ But it’s early, and Bonifacio is said by those who know him to be a “great kid.’‘

Nats people are downplaying the defection of Crow, saying that since their lost first-round pick will be replaced by a similar one next year, that’s not such a big deal. However, any delay does hurt the team that has wisely emphasized their drafts and player development (they signed their first 20 picks last year, and went over slot on rounds two through five this year). As one competing executive said, “The Nationals need whatever they can get.’‘