A baseball insider close to ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick says that the Washington Nationals are a potential sleeper team in the Cliff Lee sweepstakes.

“They’re going to step up and try to get a top free agent,” the source said. “They’d like to make a splash.”

The Denver Posts’ Troy E. Renck said the Nationals were a team to keep an eye out on during the Lee free agency. At the time, the Nats were telling agents that they are willing to overspend, if necessary, to bolster their rotation.