Washington Nationals Prospects that could be dealt at the trade deadline
By Blake Finney
Luis Garcia: IF – Nationals #5 Prospect
Luis Garcia is potentially one of the most tantalizing names in the Washington Nationals system. The latest international prospect riser in the organization, Garcia has a huge upside.
He was just named to the SiriusXM Futures Game held in D.C. this weekend, so he’ll be getting a taste of Nats Park. But that may not be his future big league home, depending on how Mike Rizzo handles the trade deadline.
Garcia is on the same international market success path as Juan Soto and Victor Robles. He continues to rake in the minors so far in 2018 and could rise through the ranks quickly.
He started fairly sluggish with a .198 average in April. But since the start of May, between two levels, he’s hitting .332, scoring 42 runs and sporting a .834 OPS.
In early July he was promoted to the Potomac Nationals, essentially to take the spot of Carter Kieboom. It was also recently reported that the Tampa Bay Rays had sent scouts to watch the P-Nats, in anticipation of a potential deal between them and the Nats.
So if the Rays have eyes on Luis Garcia, then Rizzo could easily be looking to acquire an upgrade at catcher or in the rotation. They likely wouldn’t deal Garcia for a rental, but if they either filled multiple needs or got a controllable player, they may put him on the table
Wilson Ramos has been linked with his former team for a while now, to improve them at catcher. But Nathan Eovaldi and Chris Archer have also been linked with the Nats too. Perhaps a package deal could be enough to tempt the front office to part with their prized Dominican infielder.