The Washington Nationals ended up trading four of the six players that I’d identified in a July 11 trade-deadline preview, and got a nice haul of prospects in return.
The surprise: All-Star closer Kyle Finnegan is still a Nat.
“We fulfilled a lot of our objectives at the trade deadline,” Nats GM Mike Rizzo said. “I think we got a deeper minor-league system. We feel that we’ve got a couple impact players. I think that it’s going to prove that it’s going to be beneficial long term. We’re happy with the return. The process we felt worked well for us.”
The rundown
- Jesse Winker (.257/.374/.419, 11 HRs, 45 RBIs, 14 SBs): Winker, 30, on a one-year deal, is a rental. Rizzo flipped him for New York Mets pitching prospect Tyler Stuart, who is now ranked as the #17 prospect in the Nats’ farm system.
- Lane Thomas (.253/.331/.407, 8 HRs, 40 RBIs, 22 SBs): With one more year of team control, and #2 prospect Dylan Crews knocking on the door at Triple-A, it was time to flip Thomas. Rizzo was able to snag three prospects from Cleveland for Thomas, including two Top 30 guys – left-handed pitcher Alex Clemmey (#6) and shortstop Rafael Ramirez Jr. (#23).
- Dylan Floro (3-3, 2.06 ERA, 1.05 WHIP): Floro, 33, another guy on a one-year deal, doesn’t have the K numbers to close or set up, but he has value to a contender as a seventh-inning guy, and my analysis three weeks ago was that Rizzo should have been able to flip him for a second-tier prospect. The return from Arizona, 25-year Triple A third baseman Andres Chaparro, is better than I’d expected. Chaparro is slashing .332/.403/.564 with 19 homers at the Triple-A level this season.
- Hunter Harvey (2-4, 4.20 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 10.0 Ks/9): Harvey is 29, and his stuff suggests that, with a tweak or two, he could be a legit closer down the road. Kansas City was the suitor for Rizzo here, giving up third baseman Cayden Wallace (now the Nats’ #7 prospect) and the #39 pick in the 2024 draft, which Rizzo used to take catcher Caleb Lomavita.
What was the deal with Finnegan?
It’s a seller’s market, and Rizzo no doubt put a high price tag on Finnegan (2-5, 28 saves, 3.48 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 9.0 Ks/9), who has a year of team control remaining.
“I don’t think we were asking for anything extravagant, but we did want market value for a closer that has another year of control,” Rizzo said. “That had a lot to do with it. We weren’t handcuffed or forced to move a player because his contract’s expiring or financial ramifications. We like this player. We think that he’s going to help this year and next year. He’s a wonderful person.”
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Chris Graham
