The Washington Nationals have had a disappointing season and are currently seven games behind the Philadelphia Phillies in the NL East, and they may decide to wave the white flag in advance of the July 31 trade deadline.
Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo said earlier this week that the team is still committed to winning in 2018, but Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports reports that Washington is preparing for the possibility that they may have to become sellers.
Sources: The Washington Nationals have started discussions with teams to gauge interest if they decide to sell. Of particular interest are Kelvin Herrera, Shawn Kelley and Ryan Madson, three free-agent-to-be relievers. Nats are telling teams they’ll know by end of weekend.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) July 26, 2018
It’s worth noting explicitly: The Nationals have not decided to sell. They’re doing what any prudent team in their position would: getting a sense of the market so if they do decide to sell, they can put together deals that normally take days in 24 hours. It’s the right play.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) July 26, 2018
The biggest return the Nationals could get would obviously be by trading Bryce Harper, who is set to become a free agent this winter. However, they still have a chance to re-sign him and probably don’t want to risk trading him and having him agree to a long-term deal with his new team.
If the Nationals want to ride things out a bit longer and see if they can close the gap between them and the Phillies, they can always wait until the Aug. 31 waiver deadline. However, a significant injury to another key player may have them thinking realistically about their chances in 2018.
