Nats sweating out final countdown to trade deadline

ST. LOUIS – Anyone who has followed the Nationals since 2021 understands the stress that accompanies the trade deadline for a team more interested in dealing major leaguers than acquiring them.

Nothing will ever top the stress of July 2021, when Max Scherzer, Trea Turner and six other veterans were shipped off in less than 36 hours, kickstarting the franchise’s rebuild. Nor the stress of July 2022, when a generational player named Juan Soto went from untouchable to traded in the span of two weeks.

This year’s trade deadline period won’t match those, but it does bring with it an entirely different type of stress. This isn’t about trading away big name stars for a horde of prospects who won’t reach the majors for years. This is about the philosophy of a Nationals organization at an important crossroads in this rebuild project.

Do the Nats believe they’re ready to win in 2025? If so, do they believe their two most valuable trade chips right now – closer Kyle Finnegan, right fielder Lane Thomas – should be a part of a 2025 roster built to contend? Or do they believe success still lies further down the road, or that they can still be in a position to win next year even if they deal Finnegan and Thomas?

“I think we’re going in the right direction,” general manager Mike Rizzo said last week. “I think we’re on time and doing the right things. I think that when you look at where we were when we started this thing in 2021, I think it’s palatable. I think you could feel it. I think you could see that there’s a light at the end of the tunnel.”

What team with visions of contending next season would trade its All-Star closer right now? The dilemma for the Nationals is this: The market for relievers is red hot right now, with several aggressive clubs giving up eye-popping packages of prospects for quality late-inning arms, especially those with more than one season of club control.

This should suggest teams are going to make sizeable offers for Finnegan, who has a 2.47 ERA, 28 saves, an 0.985 WHIP and will still be arbitration-eligible next year with a projected salary that could still come in under $10 million.

But as Rizzo looks at what the Royals gave up for Hunter Harvey, what the Phillies gave up for Carlos Estevez and what the Padres gave up for Jason Adam, he might well decide Finnegan is worth even more and demand other GMs meet his lofty asking price. In theory, that could actually make a trade less likely, assuming he sticks to his guns.

“You got a guy that is one or two in the league in saves,” Rizzo said. “That ninth inning, that 27th out, is the toughest out to get in all of baseball. It takes a certain guy with stuff and with personality and moxie and guts to do it. We’ve found one, and we’re not going to get rid of it easy.”

Rizzo has spoken in similar glowing terms about Thomas, even though the 28-year-old has been a less productive player this season than he was in 2023, when he totaled 36 doubles, 28 homers and 86 RBIs along with 18 outfield assists.

Thomas, who did miss a month with a sprained knee, has been on a hot streak of late. He’s now reached base in 25 consecutive games, currently the longest on-base streak in the majors. He has 28 steals in only 76 games. And he’s also got an elite prospect breathing down his neck at Triple-A in Dylan Crews, who wouldn’t necessarily take over in right field this week if Thomas is traded but could be called up soon enough.

“There are a lot of teams that would really benefit from getting Lane Thomas,” Rizzo said. “He’s got as good of an arm as anybody in right field. He throws out a lot of guys. He’s got power. He dominates left-handed pitching and is good against righties. So he’s a really good player. We’ve got control of him, so we’re going to do a deal that we’re comfortable with. And if we don’t, we won’t do a deal.”

It all makes for a stressful week. Thomas, Finnegan and Co. managed not to let it affect them while winning two of three against the Cardinals. Now, as they head to Phoenix with only one more game on the schedule before the deadline arrives Tuesday at 6 p.m. Eastern, the emotions only rachet up a notch.

“It’s really a process,” manager Davey Martinez said. “You hear all these names, and a lot of them are just rumors. I always say you’re a National until you’re not. Just play baseball. That’s all we can do.”