I'd take a flyer on Bedard, but I wouldn't give the Mariners near what they paid to get him. My guess is Bedard stays put. The only way the Mariners could turn around and trade him without losing a lot of face is to get a package that compares to the one they gave up to acquire him. I don't see that happening. Ibanez is a nice hitter, but he really needs to play LF if he's going to be in the OF. His defense is probably a bit above Ward and just a shade above Hoffpauir. I wouldn't mind Ibanez as a LH bat off the bench for the stretch run, but you don't give up good prospects for a player who you're going to use in that fashion. With Ward on the team and Hoffpauir on the farm, I'm not sure there would be much use for Ibanez. If Ichiro were made available, he would be interesting. He could play CF or RF if Fukudome were willing to go to CF. He'd be expensive to get and as long as Edmonds is hitting, I'm not sure it's a pressing need. Surely not worth what we'd have to give up to get him. Washburn has been atrocious this year, but his three previous seasons he posted ERA+ of 100, 95, 132. Not spectacular, but not bad for a back of the rotation lefty. He could get a boost by switching leagues. If the Mariners wanted to throw him away in a deal, he could be worth a look. He's probably not much better than Marquis though, but if the Cubs want a second lefty, you never know. As far as the Nationals, there's no obvious fits for us. Felipe Lopez could be a back-up middle infielder, especially if we give up on Cedeno in that role. His numbers aren't all that stellar this year, though. I heard that we could be linked to Tim Redding, but he's not the impact starting pitcher that we need. Other than those two, the Nationals have little that will interest the Cubs.