The Nationals were three games over .500 heading into July 4, but a 6-9 record in their last 15 games dropped the Nats back to 52-52. Washington is only three games behind the Diamondbacks for the last NL wild card spot, but the race is tight and has three teams (Pirates, Cardinals, and Marlins) ahead of the Nats, and the Padres are a game behind the DC team at 51-53.
The situation puts the Nationals squarely on the fence as the trade deadline approaches, yet a .500 record on July 25 is the best in the world for a rebuilding club that was expected to be one of the worst in baseball. That way, the Nats have not given up hope of staying in the playoff race. “Barring a big drop” for the team next week, Spencer Nusbaum of The Athletic wrote that DC intends to “add at least one major league player and will consider acquiring a player on an expiring contract if deemed appropriate.”
This does not mean that the Nationals will suddenly push Tarik Skubal or any of the other big names at the top of the trade market, as Nusbaum suggests a buyout could be a modest move as an inexpensive fix to help Washington’s woeful bullpen. And it doesn’t mean the Nats won’t stop fielding offers to the likes CJ Abrams, Foster Griffinor Luis Garcia Jr.since the Washington deadline can involve both buying and selling.
[Related: Nationals Trade Deadline Outlook]
It’s a smart idea to take on a .500 club, especially one that could stay on track if the Nationals can even get a normal level of play. The Nats rank 24th out of 30 in first base ERA (4.51) and 28th in bullpen ERA (5.03), but the team’s high-powered offense leads baseball with 569 runs and 151 home runs. It would have been easy for the Nationals front office to just wave the white flag because of the team’s poor performances over the past three weeks, but the Nats’ lineup is so strong that it’s easy to see why there is still motivation to add to the roster.
Moving Abrams or Garcia would obviously disrupt that offense, perhaps to the point of reducing the gains that could be made by adding bullpen help or a starting pitcher. With Abrams under arbitration control through 2028 and Garcia through 2027, however, the Nationals are under no pressure to move either player at the deadline. Unless another club comes up with a knockout trade proposal, Washington could keep Abrams and Garcia to see how things go in 2026 before revisiting trade talks this winter.
There is a ticking clock on Griffin, as the lefty is a free agent at the end of the season. That said, Washington is still considering keeping Griffin and trying to sign him to a contract extension. Griffin is perhaps an important person to watch, as moving their best pitcher would be a clear sign that Washington will end up in trade mode on August 3rd.
Any Abrams, Garcia, or Griffin would be a huge asset to another contender, so many teams will be watching the Nationals to see how their playoff plans continue to evolve. Accordingly, one would assume that any team with a pitch to spare has already contacted president of baseball ops Paul Toboni to gauge interest, or to see if perhaps some sort of necessary trade could be arranged.
