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Washington Nationals should not part with top prospects

By Drew Douglas |

The Washington Nationals have recently been connected to big-name trade candidates, but they should not part with their top prospects in any potential trade.

The Washington Nationals have remained relatively quiet this off-season, which has been the trend across the league. It is now January, and only 18 of MLB Trade Rumors’ top 50 free agents have signed.

However, the stove is finally beginning to heat up. The Miami Marlins began their fire sale earlier this off-season, trading Giancarlo Stanton, Marcell Ozuna, and Dee Gordon, but they may not be done just yet.

On Thursday, Joe Frisaro of MLB.com reported that the Nats are interested in J.T. Realmuto and Christian Yelich, two of the most notable players remaining in Miami. This did not come as a surprise, since the Nats have been connected to both players at various points this off-season, but their pursuit has reportedly picked up some steam.

Acquiring Realmuto and/or Yelich would undoubtedly improve the Nats, but it may not be plausible. The Marlins are going to demand a king’s ransom in a trade for either player, which complicates things.

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Being connected to big-name trade candidates is nothing new for the Nats, as they were connected to Chris Sale and Andrew McCutchen last off-season, but their reluctance to part ways with top prospects put a damper on plans to bring the stars to DC.

Mike Rizzo made it clear that top prospect Victor Robles would not be traded, and we all saw why during his cup of coffee last September. Robles made such an impression on the Nats that they included the 20-year-old on their postseason roster.

Now, Rizzo should maintain his stance of not trading top prospects, such as Robles. The Nats are among the oldest teams in the league, which will only worsen as time goes on, so their top prospects figure to play an enormous role in the future of the franchise.

If the Nats decide to trade any of their top prospects, a case could be made for Juan Soto being on the move. Soto, a 19-year-old outfielder, is the Nats’ second-ranked prospect, but is somewhat expendable.

Adam Eaton, Michael Taylor, and Bryce Harper form an excellent trio, but the Nats’ outfield depth is just as impressive. Eaton and Taylor are both under team control for several more seasons, so they are big parts of the Nats’ future plans.

In addition to the three major league starters, the Nats also have Brian Goodwin, Robles, Soto, Andrew Stevenson, Rafael Bautista, and Daniel Johnson as young, up-and-coming outfielders. Even if Harper departs in free agency next off-season, the Nats will presumably field a tremendous outfield for years to come.

Due to the plethora of outfielders, Soto becomes somewhat expendable. A trade involving Soto becomes especially justified if it involves Yelich, who is under team control for five more seasons.

Although the case can be made for a Soto trade, the Nats may be smart to hold onto him. Some evaluators have begun to rank him higher than Robles, which is unbelievable after seeing Robles in the bigs last September. If Robles and Soto both pan out, they will form a dynamic duo for years to come.

The Nats’ outfield depth is also mostly made up of prospects. While these prospects are highly regarded, they are still unproven at the highest level.

There have been can’t-miss prospects who did not pan out in the past, and the same could be true of the Nats’ young outfielders. If the Nats hold onto most of their young outfielders, they will have a better chance of having at least a few tap into their potential and become great major leaguers.

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Although the idea of trading for Realmuto and/or Yelich is certainly intriguing, the Nats may be smart to pass. They have made it this far without parting ways with their top prospects; why trade them now?

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