The following is the second in a two part point/counterpart series by DCist Sports regarding Alfsonso Soriano and his future with the Washington Nationals. Today Jeff Beam provides the case for keeping Soriano. Yesterday, Matt Bourque made the case for trading him.

First off, lets not deny the obvious: sometime between now and the July trade deadline, the Nats are going to have a serious fire sale. Every player not named Zimmerman, Patterson, and Cordero will be on the block, and one would guess that trigger-happy Jim Bowden would even listen to offers for those guys. The Lerner/Kasten team is intent on building this team the right way, and from the ground up. Veteran talent will make way for prospects at every level. And as noted yesterday, this week’s draft did not generate a lot of big league-ready talent. Since the new owners have been very public with this strategy and the Nats don’t figure to contend this year, radio shows and MLB chat rooms are already abuzz with who they might pry away, and the red-hot Soriano is first among them.

With Albert Pujols out indefinitely, Alfonso is now on the MVP short list. He’s a true five-tool player, can play multiple positions, and is well-regarded by his teammates. With a high market value and a contract set to expire at the end of this year, conventional baseball wisdom tells the Nats to get while the gettin’ is good with a contender’s prospects. However, a baseball man with Kasten’s success might see that keeping Soriano might be the smart move after all.

AP photo by Lawrence Jackson