The Nationals' tremendous drafting over the past few years helped them land Gio Gonzalez from the A's.

They became the favorite for Gonzalez immediately after entering the picture through their teremndous prospct list, which was compiled vis super recent drafts.

Once Gonzalez passes the physical, the A's will get pitchers Brad Peaccock, A.J. Cole and Tommy Milone and catcher Derek Norris for Gonzalez. Peacock has a power fastball, a good curveball and improving changeup and is on the cusp of being a full-fledged major leaguer. Cole has the best arm of the bunch. Milone has great stats but was described by one competing GM as "ordinary.''

Norris is a big-time RBI guy who has struggled some the last couple years but is seen for having huge offensive potential.

 These are four of the Nationals' top 10 prospects. But of course, none of them is Stephen Strasburg or Bryce Harper.

 Meanwhile, they improved their rotation to the point where they may be a cotender. Good for them.
   

The Gio Gonzalez trade talks are said to be progressing, and word is that the Nationals or Red Sox could land the star lefthander within the next couple days.

The derby for Oakland's prized pitcher is "most likely'' down to those two teams, said someone familiar with the negotiations. The Marlins and Blue Jays are among many other teams that have pursued Gonzalez, a hot young lefthander who's only 26 and seen as being on the rise.

Executives of other teams see Washington as having the best chance to land Gonzalez simply because they have such a fine array of prospects. While Stephen Strasburg and Bryce Harper are obviously off limits, the Nationals have pitchers Brad Peacock and A.J. Cole, catcher Derek Norris ad outfielders Eury Perez and Destin Hood, among many other prized prospects.

Some believe it's possible shortstop Ian Desmond or even second baseman Danny Espinosa could be "in play.'' though it's hard to imagine the Nats giving up Espinosa at this point. Washington made a four-for-one offer for Zack Greinke last year that is believed to have included Espinosa, Norris and Jordan Zimmerman but that deal fell through when Greinke declined to go to Washington.

The Red Sox have some decent prospects but many of their best ones are at the lower levels. Third baseman Will Midddlebrooks would likely be of interest for Oakland, as would pitcher Anthoy Ranaudo. The Red Sox also have young outfielders Ryan Kalish and Josh Reddick.

The Nationals are pushing hard for Gio Gonzalez, the most popular trade target among starting pitchers. The Red Sox, Nationals, Tigers, Blue Jays, Marlins and Yankees also are believed to be in the mix to varying degrees, while several more ave checked in.

The Nationals are believed willing to include multiple top prospects, basically almost anybody short of Stephen Strasburg or Bryce Harper. That could mean Brad Peacock, Derek Norris, Destin Hood, Eury Perez and A.J. Cole. Peacock and Norris are probably their third- and fourth-best prospects. Hood and Perez are outfielders, Oakland's biggest need.

It's possible Washington could be enticed to include young shortstop Ian Desmond, although that is uncertain.

Washington has been determined to land a left-hander. It missed out on Mark Buehrle earlier.

Jair Jurrjens has drawn some interest from the Orioles, Red Sox, Blue Jays, Rockies, Tigers, Rangers and others. However, while Jurrjens is a terrific young starter, he appears to be behind Oakland's Gio Gonzalez on the pecking order of most teams, possibly because of potential concerns about the knee injury that hampered him at the end of last year.

Baltimore has seemed especially interested in Jurrjens. However, one person connected to the teams said they wouldn't consider trading young center fielder Adam Jones straight-up for Jurrjens. "Not even close,'' the person said. There was some suggestion the Braves might need to include the versatile and available Martin Prado to make that deal work. But that duo may be too much for the Braves to part with.

The Braves also have suggested that they will not trade Jurrjens within their division, thereby eliminating the active Marlins as a potential suitor.

Jurrjens had an excellent year in 2011 but was hampered at the end by a knee concern. The Braves say his health shouldn't be an issue, as his velocity was back up to the mid 90s in instructional league and would have pitched in the playoffs had the Braves advanced.

The Braves say they are only considering trading Jurrjens because they have a wealth of starting pitchers, and a need for improving their offense. Jurrjens' arbitration number is expected to be very high, as well, and Atlanta has been limited financially this winter.

One other issue with the Braves is that their history of trading starting pitchers is so good that some others teams are leery about trading with them. It seems they know just went to deal pitchers, right at the height of their value.