Nationals rumors: Chris Marrero on the trading block?

The Washington Nationals may look to trade young first baseman Chris Marrero in the coming weeks because their is no room for him on the active roster, speculates Bill Ladson of MLB.com:

With the 25-man roster pretty much set, I don't see how [Chris Marrero] fits in with the Nationals this year...

It would not surprise me if the Nats tried to trade him during Spring Training.

Marrero was taken by the Nats with their top pick -- 16th overall -- in the 2006 draft, the one draft in the last eight years (other than 2011 and 2012) that has yet to pay dividends in Washington.

The righty slugger never really blew away the competition in the minors, but he still managed to make his way to the capital by late-August in 2011. Marrero struggled in his brief stint with the big-league club, hitting .248/.278/.294 with no home runs in 117 plate appearances, then suffered a badly torn hamstring that winter.

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Marrero spent the first half of the 2012 season recovering from his hamstring tear -- which ended up requiring surgery -- but played fairly well once he did return in June. He batted .272/.351/.394 with three home runs in 202 plate appearances across several minor-league levels.

Marrero now has seven minor-league seasons under his belt and is a career .284/.353/.452 hitter in that span.

Still just 24, Marrero has the potential to be a solid first base option for a team in dire need of help at the position. The Red Sox and Brewers are both looking for a part-time first baseman, so perhaps Marrero could be a fit if the available free-agent options do not work out.