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The Washington Nationals are 14 games under .500 heading into Thursday. After looking like they could make some noise this year, Washington has taken a hard left turn. They should not be considered sellers at the MLB tradeline, but not in the way many think.
The Nationals are content trading some players for big-time prospects or others that can help sooner rather than later in the big leagues. With that in mind, the team is not going to ship off some of their better players, even if they have just two or three years left on the contract. Still, there are a couple trade candidates that would give Washington a decent return for the future.
The Nationals have plenty of young talent that can be considered untouchable. Those stars include James Wood, Dylan Crews, MacKenzie Gore, and C.J. Abrams. However, there are a few older players with one or two years left that could make good trade pieces at the MLB trade deadline.
CP Kyle Finnegan is one of the better closers in the MLB
Kyle Finnegan signed very late into the offseason, which was surprising. He finished 2024 with a 3.68 ERA and 38 saves. Heading into the offseason, it was thought that Finnegan could be one of the first relief pitchers to be signed. Nonetheless, he re-signed with Washington, and he has become the center of trade conversations.
This season, the 33-year-old has made 26 appearances, thrown 26.0 innings, allowed 26 hits, struck out 21, walked eight, and he has recorded 18 saves in 23 opportunities. With all of that, Finnegan has a 3.12 ERA. He is proving that last year was not a fluke, and teams should take notice.
Closers are always a hot commodity at the trade deadline. The Nationals need to take advantage of that. There are going to be more than few contending teams looking for help in the ninth inning during the second half of the year. Washington should be able to leverage Finnegan into some high-end prospects.
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SP Michael Soroka could be worth the risk
On the surface level, Michael Soroka is not having the best season. His ERA just over 5.00 through his nine starts. The right-hander has thrown 48.0 innings, struck out 49 batters, walked 12, and opponents are batting just .230 off him. The ERA has taken hit because of his 10 home runs allowed.
Per Baseball Savant, Soroka has been a lot better than his ERA suggests. His xERA is 3.38, and his xBA is .228. In addition, Soroka is better than the Major League average in strikeout percentage, walk percentage, barrel percentage, and ground ball percentage. He is having a pretty good season, despite what his actual ERA says.
The right-hander is also just 27-years-old. He is still young, and can be considered a veteran. With how he is pitching this year, there are a few contending teams that could use a pitcher like him. He may not slot into the ace role, or even the second spot in the rotation. However, having a pitcher like Soroka as a No. 3 or No. 4 in a rotation could be very beneficial.
The Nationals have some decisions to make at the deadline. They are very close to being contenders again, but it will take a little bit more work. With that in mind, Kyle Finnegan and Michael Soroka could generate the return they need to get over the edge and become a playoff team in the near future.
