Washington Nationals: Seven players that could be traded away

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.