Washington Nationals: Seven players that could be traded away

While the Washington Nationals are expected to be active buyers this winter, we look at seven names who could be dealt away from the nation’s capital.

The Washington Nationals are already preparing to fire on all cylinders this offseason, with three additions to the team before December. But we look at the other side of things by exploring seven potential options that they may choose to trade away for one reason or another.

Strangely, the Nats didn’t make a single trade last winter after yet another NLDS exit that resulted in the firing of their manager. But that seems like an exception and not the rule when it comes to the team’s winter dealings.

Since the start of 2015, during their respective offseasons, they have traded away major leaguers such as Danny Espinosa, Tyler Moore, Drew Storen, Yunel Escobar, Jerry Blevins, and Tyler Clippard. You rarely see the Nationals dealing away proven major league talent, it’s usually coming from positions of strength, or for players who just haven’t quite realized their full potential yet.

Yes, this is hardly a groundbreaking strategy, but the point is that this incarnation of the Nationals will rarely be the team that trades away their best assets to rebuild. They’re frequently the buyers in the market, and it’s been that way since their first NL East title back in 2012.

So let’s take a look at seven potential trade candidates from the Nats who may easily be wearing a different uniform on Opening Day. We start the list with a player whose stock has drastically fallen over the last year and needs a fresh start.

Pedro Severino

With the addition of Kurt Suzuki earlier this month, it seems extremely likely that Pedro Severino will be leaving the Washington Nationals before next season. People will forget that he started in the playoffs for the Nats after Wilson Ramos went down injured, but his stock has cratered since.

For a time in 2018, it looked like Severino could well be the long-term answer behind the plate for the team as he slashed .270/.382/.351 in his first 25 games. However, after then, his performance at the plate was a disaster, slashing just .103/.161/.181 from May 19th through to the end of the season.

Now, the young catcher is out of options which is likely to force the Nationals’ hand in deciding his fate. If they choose not to keep him on the 25-man roster, then he would need to be designated for assignment giving any team has a chance to claim him.

Therefore, pursuing a trade for him could make a lot of sense, rather than just losing him for nothing when he is DFA’d. They could even look to add him to a trade package as a throw in for a rebuilding team that can take a low-cost flier on him to be their backup catcher of the future.

On his own, don’t expect a huge haul for him, perhaps something along the lines of the return the team got for Brandon Kintzler or Brian Goodwin who were in similar situations. In both of those instances, the Nats acquired a high-upside reliever in the lower minor leagues, which wouldn’t be the worst return if the player is likely heading out the door anyway.

Tanner Roark

Yes, the other piece that we traded to the Texas Rangers in our mock offseason could still be let go this winter. Tanner Roark had an inconsistent at best year in 2018. If the team is hoping to form a fearsome rotation, he could easily be a casualty.

The right-hander finished 2018 with an underwhelming 9-15 record as well a 4.34 ERA as he struggled for the majority of the year. He did appear to have things figured out for a time where he went 5-1 with a 1.61 ERA over a period of seven starts during the summer, but he couldn’t continue that form through the end of the year.

Now with Mike Rizzo making it crystal clear that he wants another starter, or even two, the right-hander is no lock to stick in the rotation moving forward. The return of Joe Ross could also be huge and be another obstacle in the way of Roark securing a spot as a starter.

While Roark could certainly do a job as a multi-inning reliever, as he has experience in that role, he would be hugely overcompensated. MLBTradeRumors projects that he would make $9.8 million in his final year of arbitration, which would be the team’s highest reliever salary.

There should be teams out there who would take a flier on Roark, given his previous track record, and teams who could look to extend him beyond 2019. The Nats, however, will likely have higher aspirations sadly, so letting Roark go now could be a wise move.

Carter Kieboom

Slightly different from the rest of the names on the list, it’s not out of the realms of possibility that Carter Kieboom may be dealt this winter. But make no mistake, he would only be traded away for a significant major league upgrade at either catcher or in the rotation.

The younger Kieboom brother in the organization has firmly put himself on the prospect map in 2018 after a huge season. He split time between High-A and Double-A while compiling a great .280/.357/.444 slash line with 16 home runs, 69 RBI and nine stolen bases.

The young infielder even went to the Arizona Fall League and was selected the Fall Stars Game midway through the developmental league. But crucially, he saw plenty of time at second base down in Arizona, as that would be his potential path to the big leagues with the Nationals.

That doesn’t necessarily mean he’s a slam dunk to stay with the organization that drafted him, as his prospect pedigree is quickly on the rise. FanGraphs currently has him ranked as the 10th best prospect in all of baseball, so he could be used to bring in a substantial major league player.

But again, with a clear path to major league time with the Nats, it would need a huge player coming the other way. Think along the lines of J.T. Realmuto, Corey Kluber or Noah Syndergaard; just to give you an idea of the only way that they part with Kieboom this offseason. However, that does still make it a realistic possibility.

Adam Eaton

The decision on whether or not to trade Adam Eaton will entirely depend on the future of fellow outfielder Bryce Harper. It’s pretty simple, if Harper returns, Eaton will likely be shown the door, if Harper leaves, Eaton stays.

Let’s stick with the potential scenario that Harper returns, that would leave Victor Robles to occupy centerfield, with Juan Soto and Harper on the corners. Eaton likely earns too much to be a fourth outfielder, with a $4.7 million annual average in 2019, which will rise if his options are picked up for 2020 and 2021.

While Eaton’s power was depleted in 2018, he still had an impressive .301 batting average and .394 on-base percentage. Those numbers would be perfect as a leadoff hitter, which is how the Nats tended to use him when healthy, but they have Trea Turner who seems to be ready to take over there.

Just over two years ago, the Nats gave up a haul for Eaton in the form of Lucas Giolito, Reynaldo Lopez and Dane Dunning. While they wouldn’t expect something along those lines in return, with the affordability of his contract, they could easily get a top 100 prospect and some complimentary pieces.

He would be a great fit for a team that’s not necessarily rebuilding, but looking to get a more affordable roster. The likes of the Cleveland Indians make a lot of sense, as do the Seattle Mariners and Oakland Athletics should the team go down the road of trading Eaton.

Jefry Rodriguez

A bit of a wildcard trade candidate here, but after Jefry Rodriguez made his big league debut in 2018, it’s conceivable he could depart via trade to bring back big league talent. He’s flashed promise, but on a win-now team, he isn’t necessarily a perfect fit.

In 14 appearances in the big leagues in 2018, he held an unimpressive 5.71 ERA as his control failed him with 35 walks compared to 39 strikeouts. He only really displayed two real major league ready pitches, so some are now questioning whether he even has a future in the rotation.

With a plus fastball and plus curveball, if given time to adjust he could easily be a dominant reliever, giving a team that acquires him a safe floor. A potential suitor could still try him out in the rotation though, as he was clearly trying to develop his changeup as a third offering that could keep major league hitters off balance.

However, the issue with Rodriguez has always been his control as, throughout his professional career, he posses a 4.3 BB/9, which won’t cut it at the highest level for a starter. It’s not something that pitchers typically tend to magically find over time as they go on through their careers, hence the possibility of a switch to the bullpen.

Rodriguez would be a perfect fit on a team like the Pittsburgh Pirates who usually seem to unearth the potential in pitchers and turn them into serviceable major leaguers. Unfortunately, for the Nats, it just doesn’t make much sense to hold onto Rodriguez given the better rotation options they have currently and the ones they plan to add.

UPDATE 11/30: Jefry Rodriguez was traded to the Cleveland Indians in the Yan Gomes deal.

Wilmer Difo

A little bit like Michael Taylor who was mentioned earlier in this list, Wilmer Difo also suffered a slump after seemingly breaking out in 2018. Now he could also find himself on the trade block under the right circumstances.

In 124 games in 2017, filling in all over the field, Difo hit .271 with a .690 OPS and 10 stolen bases while playing good defense. While the defense stayed, his batting average dropped to .230 and his OPS dipped to .649 after playing 148 games in 2018.

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As of right now, the versatile infielder is expected to platoon with veteran Howie Kendrick at second base to start the season. The veteran Kendrick beat out Difo for the initial starting job while the team waited for Daniel Murphy to return, but further injuries gave Difo a chance in the lineup.

However, it’s pretty conceivable that the Nats will look to upgrade at second base if possible, which is where trading Difo makes some sense. That would allow Kendrick to fill a bench bat role that he’s thrived in for the organization while providing the potential to add another dangerous bat to the lineup at the keystone.

We’ve previously suggested that the New York Yankees could be a potential fit for Difo, given the injury to Didi Gregorius. That would allow him to slot in as a temporary starter until Gregorius returns to full health, before sliding back into a bench role that he’s best suited to.

After an extremely disappointing 2018 season, expect the Washington Nationals to attack this winter’s market aggressively. Make no mistake, that does include potentially trading away some good young players or shifting the dead weight.