With an exciting start to the season and a bevy of highly-touted prospects on the rise, the future is bright in Washington. Despite being 0.5 game back of a National League Wild Card spot and now nearing the end of June, the Nats are still likely to be sellers at this year’s trade deadline, as they look up at the Braves and Phillies in the National League East standings. Dave Martinez has the Nats playing competitive baseball up to now which has slowly started to earn the respect of other teams around the league with their pesky style of play on any given night. Mike Rizzo isn’t staring down the barrel of a half-decade-long rebuild like the White Sox, Rockies, or A’s, as top-100 prospects Dylan Crews and James Wood headline a deep crop of Nationals talent that should without a doubt be up on the major league roster in no time. The window of contention is certainly close with that in mind knowing that the present roster of players that they would be able to flip with one or two years of team control left in exchange for longer-term pieces. With that being said – a lot can change with how things are going now compared to how things may look in less than six weeks. The Washington Nationals have reportedly received interest from rival teams regarding trades for pitchers Kyle Finnegan and Hunter Harvey and outfielder Lane Thomas. Jon Morosi of MLB Network recently reported that the Nationals are not considered sellers at this point as they’re currently tied for the final NL Wild Card spot. There are several weaknesses that the Nats could build on as the current roster withholds itself having none of the top prospects on the roster, but those may have to be put on hold until the winter rolls around. Bolstering additional starting pitching, relieve pitching, a first baseman, and power hitting should be top of the list for the club. However, until then, trade talks could ramp up in the coming weeks if Washington starts to fall out of contention before the deadline. Here is a list of players that will have a great chance to be moved as the trade deadline inches closer:
RHP – Kyle Finnegan
Finnegan, 32, is amid a career season as the closer in DC. He’s posted a 1.72 ERA and 0.83 WHIP while striking out 33 across 31.1 innings pitched this season. His 21 saves in 23 attempts have him tied with Emmanuel Clase (CLEV) for the second most in the bigs. Quietly becoming one of the best closers in all of baseball, the hard-throwing right-hander will head into another arbitration after the 2024 season while being set to become a free agent after the 2025 season. He could be in for a sizable raise compared to the $5.1M contract he holds now. Similar to the type of season that Lane Thomas had put together last year where his price being the highest it will be, getting a deal for Finnegan now could be the smart move long-term. A recent trade that comes to mind that the Nats could potentially compare this to in getting returns of players to play now and adding farm helps is by looking at what the Diamondbacks did to acquire closer Paul Sealed from the Mariners. The Dbacks acquired closer Paul Sewald and the Mariners received utility player Josh Rojas, outfielder Dominic Canzone, and infielder Ryan Bliss in return. Like Finnegan, Seawald also had two years of control being traded then and is set to become a free agent at the conclusion of this season.
RHP – Hunter Harvey
Going back to last season, Harvey has always been one of the Nationals’ most consistent relievers over his three years with the team. He currently holds a 2.75 ERA and 1.06 WHIP while striking out 41 batters in 33 appearances. This marks his third straight season below a 3.00 ERA. The 29-year-old is also set to hit arbitration this winter ahead of free agency in 2026. Harvey is one of the more under-the-radar trade assets that could be scooped up from a contending team as we inch closer to the deadline. The back-end duo that Harvey and Finnegan have built up together has been a huge factor in shutting down teams in the 8th and 9th innings. Losing both high-leverage relievers would not be the best situation to put the Nats bullpen in, but we will know soon enough if the price is right with both performing as well as they have.
OF – Lane Thomas
Thomas, in his third season as the steady veteran presence for a young Nationals outfield. He’s seen his stats slightly decrease from his career-best 2023, but that is in large part due to a Grade 2 MCL sprain he suffered early on this year. He’s started to find his groove again making his way back while hitting .238/.299/.402 with eight home runs and 24 runs batted in while also stealing 16 bases. The 28-year-old is on pace to break his career high of 20 steals set last season. He, like Finnegan, drew immense interest from contending teams last July and there is no question that he will again. Thomas is making $5.5M this season ahead of arbitration in the 2025 offseason and will be set to hit free agency in 2026. It would be wise for the Nats to get the bang for their buck now – which maybe should have been pulled last summer while was at its highest in the middle of a career season.
