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Washington Nationals: Top 10 MLB Trade Deadline moves of All-Time

By Blake Finney

WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 31: General Manager Mike Rizzo (R) of the Washington Nationals talks to team owner Mark Lerner during batting practice before their game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Nationals Park on July 31, 2014 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Jonathan Ernst/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - JULY 31: General Manager Mike Rizzo (R) of the Washington Nationals talks to team owner Mark Lerner during batting practice before their game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Nationals Park on July 31, 2014 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Jonathan Ernst/Getty Images) /
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Washington Nationals Tanner Roark
(Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images) /

4 – Texas Rangers deal Tanner Roark to the Nationals (2010)

At the time, the Washington Nationals didn’t seem to be getting much in return for former All-Star second baseman Cristian Guzman. But as it turns out, Tanner Roark was an absolute steal.

Guzman had been with the Nationals for five and a half years after coming to the nation’s capital during free agency back in 2005. He batted .282 during his time in D.C. and while he was a solid veteran presence in the lineup, he was never a true star, as evidenced by his 85 wRC+.

But, he does still have a couple pieces of Nationals history. He recorded the first ever hit at the new Nationals Park on March 20, 2008, off of Tim Hudson.

He also hit for the cycle August 28, 2008, against the LA Dodgers. This was the second cycle in Nationals history and was the latest cycle until Trea Turner achieved the feat at Coors Field in 2017.

However, Guzman’s contract was expiring after the 2010 season, and with the Nats still not competing, they fielded trade offers. They’re glad they did.

Ryan Tatusko was initially seen as the better prospect in the deal. At the time, he had a 2.97 ERA and pitched to a 1.72 ERA in Double-A with the Nats the rest of the way. But then the wheels came off, as he struggled to keep an ERA under four for the rest of his career and never cracked the major leagues.

Tanner Roark, on the other hand, went from strength to strength within the organization. He ended up making his major league debut in 2013 after going 9-3 with a 3.15 ERA in Triple-A with the Syracuse Chiefs.

Initially pitching out of the bullpen, he had a 4-0 record and 1.19 ERA and earned himself a few starts down the stretch. Ever since then, he’s been a steady presence in the rotation aside from 2015 when he was bumped from the rotation by new acquisition Max Scherzer.

Even though he’s been far from an ace, getting several years of a solid mid-to-lower tier starter for half a season of Guzman is some pretty good business.

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