Are the Nationals ready to trade prospects for big leaguers again?

As the Nationals have navigated their way through their current rebuilding efforts, general manager Mike Rizzo has often reiterated the fact he’s done this before. Upon taking the job in 2009, Rizzo tore down much of the 102-loss roster he inherited and spent the next three years building it back up before reaching the promised land with a 98-win division champion in 2012.

The comparisons of that rebuild timeline to this rebuild timeline have been plentiful. And though the 71-win Nats of 2024 didn’t come close to matching the 80-win team of 2011, there is a similar sense of optimism right now as there was back then, that this organization is ready to start adding significant pieces to the puzzle in an attempt to contend next season.

We tend to think of free agency as the primary method for adding those kind of major pieces. Who’s going to be this generation’s version of Jayson Werth? Of Adam LaRoche? Of Edwin Jackson?

Let’s not forget, though, the major piece Rizzo acquired last time around through an entirely different process: Gio Gonzalez.

On Dec. 22, 2011, the Nationals and Athletics finalized a trade that brought Gonzalez to D.C. in exchange for four highly rated prospects: Brad Peacock, Derek Norris, A.J. Cole and Tommy Milone. And, yes, all were considered highly rated prospects at the time, even if none ever realized their full potential. (Peacock and Norris ranked third and fourth, respectively, in the club’s farm system at the time, trailing only a couple of guys named Bryce Harper and Anthony Rendon.)

Gonzalez, meanwhile, was a 26-year-old left-hander coming off an All-Star season in which he posted a 3.12 ERA with 197 strikeouts over 202 innings. He had four years of club control still attached to his name, qualifying for Super Two arbitration status. And the Nats immediately got him to sign a five-year, $45 million extension, with a pair of $12 million club options tacked on to the back end of the deal.

It proved to be one of the most important acquisitions in club history. Gonzalez won 21 games in 2012 and finished third for the National League Cy Young Award. Over his seven seasons in Washington, he went 86-65 with a 3.62 ERA and 1.283 ERA while striking out 1,215 over 1,253 1/3 innings. And though his postseason performances left plenty to be desired, he nonetheless was part of four division-champion rotations and made six October starts in a curly W cap.

So, let’s fast-forward a mere 13 years and consider the current state of the Nationals rotation. There are several promising young starters projected to return next season, led by MacKenzie Gore and Jake Irvin and also including DJ Herz, Mitchell Parker and (if he finally proves he’s healthy) Cade Cavalli.

What this group lacks is an established veteran, someone to take over the Patrick Corbin role (in terms of durability and leadership, ideally with much better numbers in the process). And while there are plenty of available free agents who would fit that description, the best of them will cost big bucks.

Which means it’s worth considering an alternate pursuit of a comparable starting pitcher and explore trade possibilities. The most obvious name out there right now is Garrett Crochet of the White Sox, a 25-year-old lefty who had a 3.58 ERA and 209 strikeouts this season while making his first All-Star team.

Huh, does that remind you of anyone from the past?

Crochet only has two years of club control left, so he’s not really a long term addition. But that also could diminish the cost to acquire him. Maybe it wouldn’t take four top prospects this time.

Are the Nationals willing to trade any top prospects? They certainly haven’t considered anything along those lines since the rebuild began in 2021. But given the steps they’ve taken to restock their farm system since and given the depth they’ve accrued at multiple positions (especially in the outfield), it seems like it’s time to start considering these things again.

And the GM seems to agree.

“We have great depth in the minor league system,” Rizzo said at season’s end. “I think that if we chose to dip into the deep system to make a trade, I think we certainly could pull that off and still keep some depth in the organization.”

There’s a long way to go still before the Nationals actually follow through and pull off a significant trade of prospects for an established big leaguer. But if you believe they’re serious about looking to the past for guidance as they enter this next phase of their current rebuild, there’s ample evidence to support the notion.