Washington Nationals General Manager Mike Rizzo said the Nationals could be either buyers or sellers between now and the July 31 trade deadline. Adam Kilgore of The Washington Post says Rizzo has the freedom to improve the team as he sees fit regardless of salaries involved.

“If there’s a good deal to be made to acquire talent, we’ll acquire it,” Rizzo said this afternoon. “There’s no marching orders to dump payroll or to add payroll. It’s, ‘What is a good deal for the Nationals in 2010 and beyond?’ It’s been a constant search. We’re always looking to make a deal. Last year, we made a deal well before the trade deadline because there was a deal there to do.”

“We’re going to make a prudent deal for the Nationals long term. If that means buying, we would buy. If that means selling, we would sell. That hasn’t changed since opening day.”

Rizzo says the biggest need is starting pitching. He acknowledges that everybody is in the same boat and many teams will be competing to acquire starting pitching.