After flirting with the wild card for a while, a rough stretch leading up to the All-Star break has taken the Washington Nationals out of the playoff race. General Manager Mike Rizzo has recognized this and started selling off assets. The Hunter Harvey trade looks to start a busy trade deadline for the Nationals.
Nationals Plan To Sell At The Trade Deadline Yet Again
Hunter Harvey Trade:
Before getting into potential trades, looking at what the Washington Nationals have already done is important. They traded flamethrowing reliever Hunter Harvey to the Royals for Cayden Wallace and a competitive balance pick that turned into Caleb Lomavita. MLB Pipeline ranks Wallace as the sixth-ranked prospect in the Washington system, and Lomavita will likely rank somewhere in the 7 to 10 range in the system. Wallace can potentially be a power-hitting third-baseman who plays quality defense at the hot corner. The Nationals already have Brady House in the system, but there is no downside in having more options. Lomavita is a catcher who can turn into a quality starter if he can iron out his plate discipline. This is a quality return for a reliever having a down year.
The Rentals:
The easiest pieces to ship off are guys who will be free agents after the season. It is a pretty straightforward decision for GMs on rebuilding teams. You can either flip them for assets or risk losing them for nothing. The Nationals two tradeable rentals are OF/DH Jesse Winker and RP Dylan Floro. Both veterans have had bounce-back seasons following poor 2023 seasons and now have trade value. Winker has been particularly impressive, posting a 130 wRC+ this season after signing a Minor League deal with Washington. He has also become a fan favorite, with his big personality endearing him to the fanbase. He does not have the defensive value of a Jeimer Candelario so that the package won’t be as impressive, but he should fetch a solid return.
Candelario fetched two prospects ranked in the 12 to 20 range in a strong Cubs system. Winker should be able to get one prospect of that caliber plus another lower-level guy. Floro has also had an impressive season, posting a 2.11 ERA and a 2.31 FIP in 47 appearances. However, he is more of a medium-leverage reliever than a high-leverage guy. He should still fetch a decent return, probably a young lottery ticket or a prospect that would have to be protected in the upcoming Rule 5 draft. Despite being the Nationals most expensive offseason addition, 1B/OF Joey Gallo will probably stay thanks to lackluster production and injury issues.
Will The Nationals Move Finnegan And Thomas?
With the trade of Harvey, who is not a free agent until after next season, Mike Rizzo signaled he is willing to move non-rental pieces. Right Fielder Lane Thomas and RP Kyle Finnegan are two other players who are free agents following the 2025 season. They could very well be on the move at this deadline. Finnegan and Thomas are unlikely to get as strong of a return as Harvey for various reasons despite being more prominent names. While Finnegan has a much lower ERA than Harvey, the advanced numbers like Harvey more. He has a 3.16 FIP compared to Finnegan’s 3.98 mark. Finnegan also makes more money in arbitration due to being a closer. With Finnegan, you are getting an older, more expensive arm than Harvey when both have comparable talent, and Harvey has more upside.
Lane Thomas is the other big trade chip with 1.5 years of control left. Despite being a fixture in the middle of the Nationals lineup, he might not get a ton back because a contender would likely view him as a platoon bat. Throughout his career, Thomas has mashed against left-handed pitching while putting up middling numbers against right-handers. This season, his platoon splits have been more extreme than ever. He is hitting .350 with a .980 OPS against southpaws while batting a putrid .211 with a .610 OPS against righties. With most pitchers being right-handed, that seriously limits his value. He is also an opposing defender despite being a tremendous athlete with a cannon of an arm. He is poor at tracking balls, and it often costs him.
Ideal Approach:
With two flawed but interesting assets, the best approach might be to package the two to get maximum value. Teams would probably be more receptive to getting a quality reliever with closing experience and an ultra-athletic lefty masher than just one. The Nationals plan of attack should be to sell off the rentals and package Finnegan and Thomas. This would allow the Nationals to add even more prospect capital and potentially open up a spot for Dylan Crews if they think he’s ready. It also allows them to look for new relievers who could emerge as pieces in the future. The Nationals need to find value at this trade deadline.
Main Photo Credits: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
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