Did Red Sox Contact Nationals About Trading for Nathaniel Lowe?

The Washington Nationals traded for a new first baseman this offseason, but don't be surprised if he gets shipped out before July's MLB trade deadline.

Nationals first baseman Nathaniel Lowe is not yet officially on the trade market, but that has not stopped team's from being curious about him.

MassLive.com columnist Sean McAdam recently confirmed on his podcast Fenway Rundown that at least one club has contacted Washington about trading Lowe. While McAdam wasn't able to confirm what team that was, context clues suggest that it may have been the Boston Red Sox.

"I did hear that at least one team had contacted the Nationals of late to inquire about the potential availability of Lowe. I don't know for a fact that that was the Red Sox, but it seems likely it was," said the reporter.

Boston is a team that is young, but has aspirations of competing as early as this season. They sit just 1.5 games back from the AL Wild Card and desperately need a first baseman.

They lost their starter, Triston Casas, for the season due to injury and don't have another option that doesn't include teaching someone how to play the position for the first time.

Rafael Devers has said publicly that he will not move to first base out of the DH spot, at least in season. That means that they will need to look elsewhere for an impact player.

That's where Lowe comes in. He is likely to be among the best players at the position moved towards the deadline, if he does indeed get traded.

Washington got for Lowe from the Texas Rangers this offseason in exchange for relief pitcher Robert Garcia. It has been a fine deal, but Garcia has been a star since the move.

Lowe, however, has been more average. He's also in a pretty brutal slump over the past two weeks, which has his numbers down in the dumps.

The 29-year-old has posted a .223/.298/.397 slash line with eight home runs and 34 RBI. He's on pace to post near career best numbers in both categories, despite his numbers being down across the board.

He has another year of team control after this, so the Nationals don't have to rush to trade him if they feel like his value can go back up this offseason. If they get a nice offer from the Red Sox, it might be a good idea to listen.