1 last-minute trade Nationals must make before deadline

The Washington Nationals have been one of the more surprising teams so far this year. This was a team not expected to be near contention in 2026, but the offense has carried them there. The team has already made one move at the trade deadline, as the Nationals traded away Curtis Mead and, in return, brought in Connelly Early from the Boston Red Sox.

The Nationals are in an odd situation. The Nats were projected to be a 65-win team and to sit in last place in the NL East. The Nationals are sitting in fourth place in the NL East, at 55-58 on the year. They have lost five straight games, including being swept by the Atlanta Braves. That places them 12.5 games behind the Braves in the division. Still, the Nats are just 4.5 games behind the Arizona Diamondbacks and Philadelphia Phillies for the final two wild card spots in the National League.

Beyond the trade of Curtis Mead, the Nats have made another move. The team traded away Luis Garcia Jr. to the New York Yankees, bringing in four pitchers and two solid pitching prospects.

Regardless, the Nationals have some bright spots still left on the roster. The team is first in the majors in runs scored, while sitting seventh in batting average and sixth in on-base percentage. Further, they are first in the majors in slugging percetnage. Regardless, the Nationals’ pitching has been horrible. They are 27th in team ERA, while sitting 26th in WHIP and 27th in opponent batting average. The team is not likely to make the playoffs, but it is building towards the future.

Do not panic-trade quality assets

The Nationals offense has been stellar this year. Luis Garcia, who is now off to the Yankees, was having a career year. He is hitting .283 with a .313 on-base percentage. He also has 23 home runs and 76 RBIs, both of them already career highs. Regardless, the team also has other players who would be attractive to their lineups. There have been mentions of CJ Abrams being moved. Abrams leads the majors in RBIs, with 85 of them, 20 more than his career high. He is also hitting .287 with 28 home runs, which is eighth in the majors. He does not reach free agency until 2029.

The Nats also have James Wood. He is hitting .266 with a .394 on-base percentage. He has 30 home runs this year, with 73 RBIs on the season. While he is continuing to have another amazing season, he is also under team control until 2031. These are two long-term pieces of the Nationals, which could bring in a huge haul. While the trade could be tempting, they do not need to move these quality assets to build for the future.

Move on from Foster Griffin 

There is one piece that the Nationals can trade and not damage their future. The Nationals’ pitching has been horrible, but it does have a bright spot, which is Foster Griffin. Griffin was a 2014 MLB Draft Pick by the Kansas City Royals and would make his MLB debut in 2020. Still, he would miss much of 2020 and all of 2021 after needing Tommy John surgery. In 2022, he was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays during the season, but would spend much of the season at the Triple-A level.

Overall, he had pitched just seven games, without making a start in his major league career. He would then pitch in Japan from 2023 through 2025, before signing a one-year deal with the Nationals. Griffin has had a resurgent year. He has made 22 starts with the Nationals this year, going 12-3 with a 3.06 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP. Foster was also named an All-Star for the first time in his career this year.

With the pitcher on an expiring contract, 31 years old, and at the peak of his career, this is the perfect time to move him. While trading the only solid pitcher from a dreadful staff seems counterintuitive, this is not a playoff team. Still, it has all the parts to compete soon, and bringing in pitching prospects to help with that future is a must for the team.

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