Report: Nationals return focus to McCutchen after missing Sale

Mike Rizzo is determined to come away from the winter meetings with another big name.

Though the Washington Nationals general manager ultimately came up short in his pursuit of ace left-hander Chris Sale, Rizzo is not giving up on acquiring Pittsburgh Pirates superstar Andrew McCutchen, according to Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune.

Washington had reportedly backed off their pursuit of the 2014 NL MVP over concerns that Pittsburgh was asking for too much in return. But on Tuesday, Rizzo confirmed that McCutchen is still on his radar.

"He's one of the players that we're discussing," Rizzo said. "We're discussing a lot of different players, a lot of different avenues. We've got our net wide, and we're looking for any avenue to improve the ballclub."

The Nationals have been eyeing McCutchen as a right-handed bat to slot behind Bryce Harper, something that's been absent from their lineup during Harper's entire tenure in D.C.