News and notes surrounding Washington’s loveable cellar-dwellers:

Belliard Signs Extension: Though he was widely considered the Nats most moveable commodity, he and the team agreed to a 2-year, $3.5 million extension to keep big Ron in D.C. Belliard’s versatility makes Manny Acta’s job much easier for the next few years with his ability to play multiple infield positions, his willingness to be a bench player when needed, and his veteran leadership. In the meantime, his .305 batting average is helping to carry the offense.

Trade Rumor Mill: With Dmitri Young’s outstanding season at the plate and a seller’s market for quality relievers, several Nats have been widely rumored to be “on the block” as the non-waiver trade deadline looms next week, with Young, Ryan Church, Chad Cordero and Jon Rauch the most often mentioned. The Post’s Barry Svrluga goes into the details today on the possibility of trading each of them. The short version: these guys are more valuable to the Nats than to better teams, so the team is asking too high a price to trade them and may end up not making any deals. Like Soriano last year, there’s an interesting set of possibilities that could arise if the Nats keep Young until the end of the year (well, interesting to us and fellow baseball geeks like the incomparable Capital Punishment). Have a look.

The Dunn Rumors: As we know by now with our beloved GM Jim Bowden, no Red goes un-coveted, especially those that were drafted by JimBo during his days in Cincinnati. So there’s likely some truth behind the buzzing on teh internets of the Nationals inquiring about Reds OF Adam Dunn.

Photo by Flickr user payal.jhaveri.