Washington Nationals: 5 potential mid-season trade targets

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Tyler Flowers

If the Nats find Realmuto to be too costly, Tyler Flowers is another excellent option. Like Realmuto, the Nats have seen plenty of Flowers playing for a division rival.

Flowers does not receive much national attention since he plays for the Atlanta Braves, but he has quietly established himself as a solid all-around catcher. He has hit at least .270 in each of the last two seasons, which is extraordinary for a catcher.

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Although Flowers has been exceptional for Atlanta, he could presumably be traded in 2018. It is his final season under team control, and the Braves are not yet ready to contend. Because of this, they may elect to trade Flowers and receive prospects in return instead of just letting him walk.

If the Nats acquire Flowers, they would be be getting a vast improvement over Wieters. At this point in his career, Flowers is much better than Wieters both offensively and defensively.

Flowers’ 2017 batting average was 56 points higher than Wieters’, which speaks for itself, but Flowers is also much better behind the plate.

According to Baseball Prospectus, Wieters’ FRAA (Fielding Runs Above Average) was an atrocious -12.9, which ranked third-worst among all catchers. Flowers, on the other hand, owned a 23.5 FRAA, which was second-best among catchers.

If the Nats are looking for a solid catcher that would come relatively cheap, Flowers is their man.

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The Nats are a great team as things currently stand, but there is definitely room for improvement. Mike Rizzo is certain to make a few trades at the deadline, and Kelvin Herrera, J.A. Happ, Hunter Pence, J.T. Realmuto, and Tyler Flowers are a few early candidates.

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