Should We Buy or Should We Sell Now - Trade Deadline 2026

[SkinsNatFan21RIP]

I have followed the criticsm of Garcia for years on this site ranging from calls to DFA's to outright releases. I admit his defense at 2B was horrid from lack of range to errant throws and some bonehead decisions. I believe I never participated because primarily who were we going to replace him with in our system. I thought he had potential to hit but it was only in spurts when he did. Under the new regime and the move to 1B he has performed adequently in the field and his offense has shocked us all. From what I observe he is one of the most liked player on the team as he is one of the first players to congradulate a teammate on a HR. I'm not sure you would get much more than prospects in a trade and certainly no immediate help to our woeful BP. And who would replace him on the strong side platoon?

That's the big issue for me. I don't think we're going to get anything more than what we got for Schwarber. I would much rather just keep Luis.

[SkinsNatFan21RIP]

I assumed it was understood that the Nationals are not actively trying to compete this year. This team needs way too much pitching, and trading some role players like Young, isn't going to fix it.

Minimum of one decent starter and two bullpen arms are needed. That likely means dealing at least 4 prospects out of your top 10, with at least two being in MLB Pipeline's top 100. And I just don't see TOboni blowing up his farm so quickly after he set us on a path of hard rebuild. I'd love him to, but I don't see that happening, particularly with an ownership group that doesn't want to spend money.

So yea, you cash in on Garcia now, at his highest.

Maybe the FO isn't trying to compete but the players sure are.

[aspenbubba]

Maybe the FO isn't trying to compete but the players sure are.

And the fans have bought into it as well. I just think there are valid arguments to keep Garcia or trade him. As far as Foster I’d trade him for bonafide immediate help for the BP and then try to re-sign him in the off season if his price is reasonable. There is no telling what other teams will do and he is familiar with the city and FO and coaches.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

And the fans have bought into it as well. I just think there are valid arguments to keep Garcia or trade him. As far as Foster I’d trade him for bonafide immediate help for the BP and then try to re-sign him in the off season if his price is reasonable. There is no telling what other teams will do and he is familiar with the city and FO and coaches.

stripping him from the rotation to bolster the bullpen leaves the rotation with a hole in one of its top 2 spots. Moving him to a contender to get bullpen help would require the other team to have such a deep bullpen to afford to strip it to get a playoff level starter. I can see dealing Griffin for prospects, but I don't see the deal for current bullpen help.

[aspenbubba]

stripping him from the rotation to bolster the bullpen leaves the rotation with a hole in one of its top 2 spots. Moving him to a contender to get bullpen help would require the other team to have such a deep bullpen to afford to strip it to get a playoff level starter. I can see dealing Griffin for prospects, but I don't see the deal for current bullpen help.

I alluded to an issue that every team that would trade for him faces will they be able to re-sign him and that diminishes the return substantially. I don’t see anyone giving up a AA prospect for him or even a combo of AA and lesser rated prospects.

[Slateman]

And the fans have bought into it as well. I just think there are valid arguments to keep Garcia or trade him. As far as Foster I’d trade him for bonafide immediate help for the BP and then try to re-sign him in the off season if his price is reasonable. There is no telling what other teams will do and he is familiar with the city and FO and coaches.

Ownership couldn't give two craps about the fans

[Squab]

I alluded to an issue that every team that would trade for him faces will they be able to re-sign him and that diminishes the return substantially. I don’t see anyone giving up a AA prospect for him or even a combo of AA and lesser rated prospects.

if you're a contender and believe that Griffin can give you the same 2 WAR down the stretch he's given the Nats this year, that's roughly similar value to what you could hope for as the Mariners in the Jose A Ferrer trade maybe?

(4 years @ .5 WAR for a reliever, could see hoping for a bit more out of him based on his previous perf, we got Harry Ford and Issac Lyon, this might be a bit of a reach

There’s always risk in acquiring relief pitching, but this looks like a safe way to add 1-1.5 WAR to the bullpen, and with his skills, a nutty, sub-2.00 ERA season is not outside the realm of possibility.

)


If you can't get something that's roughly of that caliber or maybe a bit less, it does make less sense to me to deal him just for a lottery ticket.

I'd love a scenario where we could get a top 100 prospect + someone promising, potentially 2 new top 10 pieces + some interesting guys for Griffin/Garcia, but if it's just for chaff, screw it let's trade for a couple relievers and see what happens.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

Last year, Zack Littell and Merrill Kelly (and 1 other starter) were dealt at the deadline as rentals. I have not dug into the players gotten back, but that would be a starting point for guessing what Griffin brings back.

[Slateman]

Last year, Zack Littell and Merrill Kelly (and 1 other starter) were dealt at the deadline as rentals. I have not dug into the players gotten back, but that would be a starting point for guessing what Griffin brings back.

https://blogs.fangraphs.com/ranking-the-mlb-prospects-traded-at-the-2025-deadline/

Kelly brought back a 50 grade prospect.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

https://blogs.fangraphs.com/ranking-the-mlb-prospects-traded-at-the-2025-deadline/

Kelly brought back a 50 grade prospect.

Littell brought back a 45+.

[IdahoNat]

I hate to be pedantic about this, but you go to a game as a consumer with the expectation the goal is to 1) win the game and 2) if possible try to win the Championship. If you're 1 game out of the playoff race, and you do something that is counter to that goal, I as a fan have 0 desire to support the team financially in any capacity. It's like going to a movie and half-way through the film the director decides to pack it in and deliberately make a mediocre film. It's a waste of my time and my money.

[Slateman]

Littell brought back a 45+.

Griffin is pitching better than either of them.

[Slateman]

I hate to be pedantic about this, but you go to a game as a consumer with the expectation the goal is to 1) win the game and 2) if possible try to win the Championship. If you're 1 game out of the playoff race, and you do something that is counter to that goal, I as a fan have 0 desire to support the team financially in any capacity. It's like going to a movie and half-way through the film the director decides to pack it in and deliberately make a mediocre film. It's a waste of my time and my money.

They're 1 game out of the WC but there are three teams ahead of the Nats, which basically makes it more like 3-5 games out.

And if the goal is to win a championship, then selling is the right move. This team has a 0% chance of getting to the NLCS. The pitching simply isn't there to compete with the Dodgers/Phillies/Braves/Brewers.

Frankly, its your own fault for investing in this team. They made it very clear during the offseason they had no intention of competing. We're only in this position because of the luck and two guys massively overachieving.

[IdahoNat]

They're 1 game out of the WC but there are three teams ahead of the Nats, which basically makes it more like 3-5 games out.

And if the goal is to win a championship, then selling is the right move. This team has a 0% chance of getting to the NLCS. The pitching simply isn't there to compete with the Dodgers/Phillies/Braves/Brewers.

Frankly, its your own fault for investing in this team. They made it very clear during the offseason they had no intention of competing. We're only in this position because of the luck and two guys massively overachieving.

I have not spent one dollar on the team this season, whether it be going to a game, buying merchandise, Nats TV subscriptions etc. In fact I've sometimes gained money by paying close attention to trends and predicting some parlays. I took a principle stance of doing this when they decided to trade Mackenzie at the beginning of the season, and if they trade more guys away, I'm extending that into further years. The odds of beating those teams aren't great, but the offense is the X factor and a rotation of Cavalli, Griffin, Alvarez, and a hopefully healthier and improved Irvin stands a fighting chance.

[GataNats]

Ortiz is our #25 prospect.  Why do people think he is some surefire replacement?  Also he would be a 5'10" 1B.  Doesn't seem optimal.

Not to mention he’s about to eat himself out of the league

[TheCycle]

The problem with the "Should we buy or should we sell" question is ... it's the wrong question.  These are trades, not purchases.  Both parties buy and both parties sell.  So, what it comes down to is what positions are we overloaded, and at what positions are we shallow?  We are overloaded at some positional spots, and we are extremely shallow at pitching.  That said, looking at overloaded positions, the question then becomes, do you off load the blocker or the blocked.  We have some DEEP talent and for those that want to buy, do you REALLY want to sell away the 2028-2030 seasons, and for the owners tickets for those seasons, to pack the house in September and hopefully some of October this year?  Right now, the seats are not getting filled and this is with a team that is very exciting offensively.

[Ali the Baseball Cat]

I believe Dmitri Young hit 300 pounds while active, so the bar is set pretty high

Not to mention he’s about to eat himself out of the league

[Slateman]

The problem with the "Should we buy or should we sell" question is ... it's the wrong question.  These are trades, not purchases.  Both parties buy and both parties sell.  So, what it comes down to is what positions are we overloaded, and at what positions are we shallow?  We are overloaded at some positional spots, and we are extremely shallow at pitching.  That said, looking at overloaded positions, the question then becomes, do you off load the blocker or the blocked.  We have some DEEP talent and for those that want to buy, do you REALLY want to sell away the 2028-2030 seasons, and for the owners tickets for those seasons, to pack the house in September and hopefully some of October this year?  Right now, the seats are not getting filled and this is with a team that is very exciting offensively.

All purchases are trade. One party trades currency, goods, and/or services for currency, goods and/or services. In this case, the currency/goods/services are players and prospects.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

The problem with the "Should we buy or should we sell" question is ... it's the wrong question.  These are trades, not purchases.  Both parties buy and both parties sell.  So, what it comes down to is what positions are we overloaded, and at what positions are we shallow?  We are overloaded at some positional spots, and we are extremely shallow at pitching.  That said, looking at overloaded positions, the question then becomes, do you off load the blocker or the blocked.  We have some DEEP talent and for those that want to buy, do you REALLY want to sell away the 2028-2030 seasons, and for the owners tickets for those seasons, to pack the house in September and hopefully some of October this year?  Right now, the seats are not getting filled and this is with a team that is very exciting offensively.

I think the sell/ buy formulation is really "do you add assets for the MLB roster to try to make the playoffs or do you trade away assets from the current roster to improve the team for 2027 and / or beyond?" For example, starting pitching may not be an overloaded position, but you hear discussions about trading Foster Griffin for future assets if we are in "sell" mode.  That said, you could also  see the sort of unblocking trade you are talking about if, for example, the team thinks its long term centerfielder is Dylan Crews so they deal Young to unblock him. I think dealing JY falls more into a "sell" at this point because I don't think giving Crews CF for the rest of the year adds to this year.

[IdahoNat]

Speculation on Scherzer coming back home:
https://www.federalbaseball.com/washington-nationals-analysis/92880/should-washington-nationals-consider-bringing-back-max-scherzer

[imref]

Heyman says the Nats probably aren't trading Abrams based on what he has heard.

[imref]

Speculation on Scherzer coming back home:
https://www.federalbaseball.com/washington-nationals-analysis/92880/should-washington-nationals-consider-bringing-back-max-scherzer

I think Max only goes to a team with a high likelihood of making the playoffs.

[JCA-CrystalCity]

I think Max only goes to a team with a high likelihood of making the playoffs.

I don’t think there will be a huge bidding war. He'd be the cheap sort of acquisition I could see Toboni going for.

[Squab]

Speculation on Scherzer coming back home:
https://www.federalbaseball.com/washington-nationals-analysis/92880/should-washington-nationals-consider-bringing-back-max-scherzer

We’re already paying him deferred money so why not lol

[zimm_da_kid]

Gimme a lil CJ Abrams for Hancock, Sloan, and Arroyo from the Mariners. Slide Nunez over to short and call up either arroyo or king to play 2B with Mead at 3B

Then do a little something to get two quality relievers. The daniel lynch/Jeff hoffman tier. Would cost about 5 brady house/christian frnaklin/abi ortiz/andrew pinckney/cayden wallace type guys total.

Our offense would still be good and our defense, rotation (in the short and long term), and bullpen would all be better