Surprised Nats come to grips with Harvey trade

MILWAUKEE – The jubilation of a come-from-behind 6-5 win over the Brewers had the Nationals clubhouse thumping Saturday evening. So when the team’s relievers were summoned to Davey Martinez’s office about 30 minutes after the final out was recorded, everyone just assumed the manager was going to praise them for the job they did to churn out 8 1/3 scoreless innings after starter Mitchell Parker was pulled in the bottom of the first.

Martinez did praise them for that above-and-beyond effort, but he also had news to share with the group: Hunter Harvey had been traded to the Royals for third base prospect Cayden Wallace and the 39th pick in tonight’s MLB Draft.

The room went silent, Harvey probably the most stunned of the entire group, his baseball life upended in a manner of seconds.

“It was a roller coaster of emotions yesterday, especially with the bullpen,” Martinez said this morning. “Those guys did so well yesterday in the game, and to have to break the news to them that one of their brothers was leaving us to go play somewhere else … they all get it. They understand what the reality is in this game; those things happen. I wish nothing but the best for Hunter. He’s a big part of the Nationals family.”

As it turned out, Harvey wasn’t among the five relievers who pitched Saturday and made an improbable win possible. In the moment, it was easy to assume he was unavailable after pitching the previous two days. After the fact, it was clear he was unavailable not for that reason but because the trade was in the works.

The 29-year-old right-hander had become an integral part of the Nationals bullpen over his two-plus seasons with the organization, overcoming his lengthy injury history as an Orioles prospect to keep himself healthy and available and lock down the primary eighth-inning role while forming a talented tandem with closer Kyle Finnegan.

“We’re happy for Hunter. He’s going to Kansas City, and he has a chance to step into a bigger role,” Finnegan said. “But it was hard yesterday, because we just had an unbelievable game, and we were excited here in the clubhouse, and you hear that you’re losing a friend and a teammate. It’s tough to deal with, but it is what it is. Hopefully there will be some new opportunities here for somebody else to step up.”

How will the Nationals replace Harvey? Roster-wise, they recalled right-hander Amos Willingham from Triple-A Rochester for today’s first-half finale. They’ll then have the four-day All-Star break to reevaluate things and decide if they want to make any other moves before they take the field again Friday night against the Reds.

Harvey’s setup role, meanwhile, won’t necessarily go to just one guy. Martinez said right-handers Dylan Floro and Derek Law, plus lefty Robert Garcia could all be used.

“Right now, the seventh and eighth innings will probably be more of a matchup thing,” the manager said. “You don’t have the constant with Harvey and Finnegan. We’ll see how it goes when we get back.”

Of course, there is the distinct possibility there will be more departures over the final two weeks of July as the trade deadline approaches. Floro, who is a pending free agent, looks like an obvious candidate to be dealt to a contender. Finnegan, who like Harvey is under club control through 2025, could also now be in play considering the haul the Nats got for Harvey.