Washington Nationals: 2018 MLB Trade Deadline Live Thread

The MLB Trade Deadline is at 4pm Eastern Time on Tuesday, and the Washington Nationals have huge decisions to make, follow the talk on our live thread.

The Washington Nationals have big decisions to make with the MLB Trade Deadline just around the corner. Between now at the 4pm deadline, they could still buy, sell or anything in the middle.

You can check out all of the latest trade deadline action right here on our live thread that will be updated all day long.

Live Thread

4:30pm – Signing off from the trade deadline

Well, that’s all for our live thread today. A trade deadline that started pretty slow overall, followed by a late league-wide frenzy that was tough to stay on top of. The Washington Nationals only move of the day was trading Brandon Kintzler to the Chicago Cubs, and you can see more on that story below. Blake Finney, signing off.

4:08pm – Rosenthal gets the scoop on Schoop

Trade Deadline deals can still sneak through now, and now Jonathan Schoop has been dealt to the Brewers. As long as the paperwork was processed before 4pm Eastern Time, the deal can happen and the Brewers have added their second infielder after getting Mike Moustakas.

3:53pm – Nats have no more deals coming

The Washington Nationals only move of nthe day was to trade away Brandon Kintzler per Mark Zuckerman of MASN Sports. Certainly one of the more bizarre trade deadlines by the team in recent memory to only move a solid mid-to-late inning reliever.

3:34pm – Archer return seems very hefty

The return in the Chris Archer trade to the Pirates is now known. They gave up two very highly rated prospects with major league experience in Austin Meadows and Tyler Glasnow. Meadows was having a rookie of the year contender early on, and Glasnow was the best pitching prospect in baseball not long ago. A huge return for the Rays.

3:33pm – Braves go to their fallback plan in Gausman

After Chris Archer was traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Atlanta Braves had to move on, and they did so quickly by getting Kevin Gausman from the Baltimore Orioles. The Braves needed a starter to bolster their rotation and it looks like they got it.

3:28pm – Dozier heads to Dodger Stadium

A name we hadn’t heard too much so far today, Brian Dozier is heading to the LA Dodgers. Another huge statement of intent by the Dodgers who arguably have one of the best offensive infields in baseball now with Manny Machado, Justin Turner, and Cody Bellinger to go along with Dozier.

3:18pm – Archer to Pirates inches even closer

In the probably the most seismic deal of the MLB Trade Deadline, the Pittsburgh Pirates are moving closer to a deal with the Tampa Bay Rays for Chris Archer. The right-hander has not been up to his usual standard the last few years, but the Pirates have a good rep for steering players on the right path. They will look to do the same with Archer.

2:58pm – Kintzler dealt to Chicago

In a stunning move with just over an hour to the trade deadline, the Washington Nationals have dealt Brandon Kintzler to the Chicago Cubs, per Ken Rosenthal. The return is not yet known, but we’ll have the reaction to move here at District on Deck later today.

2:50pm – Ramos to the Phillies is done

MLB.com’s Mark Feisand has reported that the Wilson Ramos deal to the Philadelphia Phillies is done. The return is as yet unknown, but Joel Sherman reports that “It’s not a big return”. The Nationals may have missed an opportunity on this one if the return is minimal.

2:26pm – Mariners have netted a Marlin

Another of the teams who may well have been a fit for Bryce Harper has filled their outfield need. The Seattle Mariners are getting Cameron Maybin from the Miami Marlins according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. The outfield market has gone nuts after Harper was pulled back from trade negotiations.

2:03pm – Orioles closing in on another deal

According to Jerry Crasnick, the Baltimore Orioles are closing in on yet another deal. After Adam Jones allegedly declined a trade to the Phillies, this may be for one of their starters such as Dylan Bundy or Kevin Gausman. Plenty of teams want a starting pitcher after all.

1:16pm – Phillies engaged with the Rays over The Buffalo

Yahoo Sports’ Jeff Passan is now reporting that the Philadelphia Phillies and the Tampa Bay Rays are engaged over Wilson Ramos. Not long after Marc Topkin speculated about a Buffalo deal, it’s emerged another NL East club had come in for his services. He’s out for a little while longer, so we’ll see if this happens.

12:38pm – D-Backs are the ones who get Ziegler

After the report of a Brad Ziegler trade being close, Ken Rosenthal now confirms that he’s going back to Arizona. The return is not yet known, but the Diamondbacks bullpen gets a little deeper.

12:26pm – Indians get their outfield help

The Cleveland Indians, who were rumored to be in on Harper, have acquired some extra outfield help. They made a straight swap to get Leonys Martin for minor league prospect Willi Castro. Castro was the team’s number eight prospect, so a decent get for the Detroit Tigers who signed him largely for this purpose.

12:20pm – Topkin speculates Buffalo reunion still possible

With the Nationals looking like they want to hold pat, Marc Topkin from the Tampa Bay Times mentions that Wilson Ramos trade interest hasn’t died down yet. If so, with the Nats stance, then a trade to bring Ramos back home could still be possible. Here’s hoping this could happen.

12:01pm – Ziegler deal looks imminent

MLB.com’s Jon Morosi is reporting that Brad Ziegler of the Miami Marlins is about to be dealt. However, he rules out the Chicago Cubs. Perhaps someone like the Boston Red Sox?” You can never have too many relievers.

11:41am – Archer and the Braves a potential match?

According to Jon Morosi of MLB.com, the Atlanta Braves are a big team to watch in the pursuit of Chris Archer. This would be a huge statement of intent by the Braves as they look to catch the Phillies in the NL East, and has the controllable years the team is looking for.

11:33am – Yankees could make outfield upgrade

With Bryce Harper no longer an option, the New York Yankees are looking for other upgrades. Andrew McCutchen has their interest if they can’t get their primary targets according to Mark Feinsand.

10:51am – Brewers are pursuing Gio

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports that the Milwaukee Brewers are pursuing Nats starter Gio Gonzalez. Even if they don’t move Harper, it would be wise to listen on guys like Gonzalez and the relievers. We’ll see if this interest goes anywhere.

10:48am – Pham heads to the Rays

In your first non-Bryce Harper update for a while, Tommy Pham has been traded to Tampa Bay Rays, according to Jeff Passan from Yahoo Sports. Joel Sherman followed that up with the deal being for two prospects, i.e. not Chris Archer. Definitely a bombshell today and we’re just coming up to 11am.

10:33am – Mike Rizzo makes a definitive statement

Well, the Bryce Harper talk may die down a little now. Per Chelsea Janes, Mike Rizzo reached out to say “Bryce isn’t going anywhere”. Whether this came from ownership, as we saw with Jorge Castillo’s tweet, or the offers for Harper weren’t good enough remains to be seen. But that statement seems pretty definitive.

10:13am – Report that the Nationals have had deals to trade away numerous players

Jorge Castillo of the Washington Post has reported that the Nationals front office has had numerous deals “lined up” for their players. But ownership may have pulled the plug somewhere along the way. Could mean, if Bryce Harper is dealt, it’s the start of a huge domino effect to deal players.

10:11am – Could Harper prospects be used to then acquire Realmuto?

Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post speculates that trading Harper would not be giving up on 2018. It could even be part of a master plan to net J.T. Realmuto with those prospects acquired in a Harper deal. That would be quite something.

9:32am – Heyman reports Archer may be on the move

Although he’s been on the trade block for the best part of two seasons, Chris Archer may finally be on the move. The San Diego Padres would make a lot of sense as their talent in the minors reaches the upper levels.

8:38am – Bowden says “very slim” chance Bryce is traded

On SiriusXM this morning, former Nationals GM, Jim Bowden, says that there’s only a slim chance Harper get traded. They still want to buy and try to compete in 2018 but are looking at all options.

2:20am – Pirates snag Keone Kela

Catching up on some news overnight, the Pittsburgh Pirates have traded for Texas Rangers closer, Keone Kela. One of the prospects going to Texas is former Nats farmhand, Taylor Hearn.

The biggest story to track throughout the day will be the fate of superstar outfielder, Bryce Harper. While it still seems more likely they hold onto Harper than trade him, it can’t be ruled out.

Mark Feinsand broke the news late on Monday night that the Nationals will, at the very least, listen on Harper.

The general consensus seems to be that the Nats would need to be completely blown away by an offer to consider dealing the outfielder. However, there are teams out there who would be desperate to add a player of Harper’s caliber.

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And if the Nationals do decide to deal him, it could set off a huge chain reaction that could involve selling their pending free agents. Here are all the players currently on the 40 man roster with expiring contracts:

• Daniel Murphy
• Matt Adams
• Mark Reynolds
• Matt Wieters
• Gio Gonzalez
• Jeremy Hellickson
• Ryan Madson
• Kelvin Herrera
• Shawn Kelley

There are a lot of assets there that could be dealt, should the Nats wave the white flag. While they listen on Bryce Harper, they could conceivably have deals in place to trade the other expiring players and have a big re-tool.

Alternatively, the Nationals could see it as a chance to cleanse the clubhouse. It was reported by Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports that “The clubhouse is a mess” right now, according to his sources. And it’s not unrealistic to think some of this may stem from Harper himself.

With the outfielder only really offering a moderate threat with the bat this year, they could bring up top prospect Victor Robles to replace him. If he can play up to his potential, then they may not be much worse off than they were before a possible trade.

How can you get involved?

All day, we want to hear your thoughts and we will be responding to the comments at the bottom of the article. Send us your potential trade ideas and any other questions you may have about the team and we’ll aim to answer them throughout the day.

One way or another, it looks like it’s going to be a wild ride for Nationals fans until the deadline passes. Make sure you check back here for the latest news during the MLB Trade Deadline.