Nats trade Candelario to Cubs for two prospects

When the Nationals lineup for tonight’s series opener against the Brewers was published and Jeimer Candelario’s name wasn’t included, all eyes in the home clubhouse immediately turned toward the third baseman’s locker. Candelario, for the record, was there, in his usual Nats gear, preparing for batting practice.

Three hours later, he was no longer a National.

The Nats finalized a trade with the Cubs shortly before tonight’s game that will send Candelario back to the organization he began his career with, receiving two prospects in return, the club announced.

Kevin Made, a 20-year-old shortstop who was the Cubs’ 14th-ranked prospect, and DJ Herz, a 22-year-old left-hander who was their 16th-ranked prospect, will now join the Nationals organization.

Candelario was far and away the most likely Nationals player to be dealt before Tuesday’s 6 p.m. deadline. A number of teams, headlined by the Angels and Yankees, reportedly were interested in the 29-year-old, who entered the day with an .823 OPS, 30 doubles, 16 homers, 53 RBIs and 3.3 bWAR in 99 games played.

Signed to a modest one-year, $5 million contract last winter after the Tigers non-tendered him, Candelario understood his situation all summer. Though he openly expressed his desire to stay in D.C., he recognized he was likely to be dealt before the deadline, as much as he tried to block out the noise.

“I’m not thinking about that right now,” he said Sunday evening following the Nationals’ 5-2 loss to the Mets. “I know there’s a lot of news right, but I want to live day-by-day. That keeps me calm, and that keeps me in the game the right way. For me, it’s just waking up in my bed and thinking how you can help your team win a ballgame. For me, that’s the more important (thing) and everything else is going to take care of itself.”

Given the situation, the risk of injury and the possibility of a deal coming together at any moment, the Nationals held Candelario out of tonight’s lineup.

“I talked to (general manager Mike Rizzo), and obviously it’s that time of year,” manager Davey Martinez said during his pregame press conference at 4 p.m. “So we’re just going to sit him down. If I need him later on to pinch-hit or something, he’ll be available.

“It’s a tough time of year, with the trade deadline up. But we’ve been through this before. We’ll see what happens here in the next couple days. But what I can say is: Jeimer’s still a National. I love him. He plays the game the right way. He’s been awesome for our young players. We’ll see what happens in the next 36 hours.”

The same caveat didn’t necessarily apply to one of the other players who could be drawing interest from others: Kyle Finnegan. Asked if he would be holding his closer out of tonight’s game just as he’s doing with Candelario, Martinez insisted he would not take such a precaution.

“As of right now, he’s in there,” the manager said. “And if we’ve got a chance to close the game, he’ll close. I haven’t heard anything else.”

Because he was a rental who is set to become a free agent in two months, Candelario was never expected to command a massive package of prospects. The Nationals ultimately agreed to a deal that will bring them two second-tier prospects who they hope will develop into big leaguers.

Made is a highly regarded defensive shortstop who is still developing as a hitter. Signed by the Cubs out of the Dominican Republic for $1.5 million in 2019, he was batting .240 with a .328 on-base percentage, .683 OPS, three homers and 25 RBIs this season for High-A South Bend.

At 5-foot-9, 160 pounds, Made has the body of a traditional middle infielder. He’s well regarded for his bat-to-ball skills, and his walk rate has improved each year in the minors.

Herz, an eighth-round pick in the 2019 draft, had a 3.97 ERA and 1.424 WHIP in 14 starts this season for Double-A Tennessee. He has struck out an impressive 80 batters in only 59 innings, but has walked 37 in that same time.

The 22-year-old lefty has a fastball in the low-to-mid 90s, with a plus-changeup and a developing slider.