Washington Nationals: Four possible trades at the Winter Meetings

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Even though the Washington Nationals have gotten a lot of their business done early, they could still look to make a deal at the MLB Winter Meetings.

One of the biggest days of the MLB calendar is slowly drawing closer. The annual Winter Meetings begin on Monday December 10th and while the Washington Nationals have done a lot of business, it would be foolish to rule out another trade.

General Manager Mike Rizzo has been keen to get a lot of his business done early by filling all of the team’s major needs already. Bringing in Patrick Corbin on Tuesday afternoon was the fifth move the team made this offseason, but it was easily the biggest one yet.

However, the $140 million pitcher has put a bit of a strain on costs as the team’s payroll now nears the luxury tax threshold. So now to help fill some of his secondary needs, he could look to trade for cost-effective options instead of bringing in free agents.

Rizzo is no stranger to doing deals at the Winter Meetings, with Adam Eaton likely the most high-profile trade in his tenure back in 2016. However, if he does a deal during this year’s meetings, it will likely be on a much smaller scale than he’s been known to do.

Some of the needs that the Nationals could look to fill out the rest of the way are second base, another starting pitcher, a final relief pitcher, and a left-handed hitting first baseman. While not high priority, these are holes they can fill to truly make their roster fearsome heading into the 2019 season.

In this piece, we take a look at possible trade packages which would fill each of these needs, that could be worked out in the coming weeks. First up, we have a high-risk high-reward starter who could round out the rotation.

(Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images) /

Jon Gray, SP

After the signing of Patrick Corbin took care of the need for a frontline starting pitcher, now the Washington Nationals can focus on a low-risk, high-upside gamble. Jon Gray of the Colorado Rockies would fit that mold perfectly.

After seemingly taking the next step towards being a potential ace in 2017 with a 10-4 record and a 3.67 ERA, he fell back to earth last season. He sported an unsightly 5.12 ERA in 31 major league starts and was even demoted to Triple-A Alberqueue for a time, to compound his misery.

Now, your first thoughts are probably that it was down to Coors Field, but his road ERA of 5.34 was actually higher than his home ERA of 4.91. Overall, the only real difference compared to previous seasons was a spike in his home run rate as in 2018 he had a 1.4 HR/9 compared to a 0.9 HR/9 previously in his career, so it’s worth taking a chance on that correcting itself.

Our sister site, Rox Pile, has explored the possibility of trading Gray following his poor season in 2018. While they didn’t specifically name the Nats as a potential destination for the right-hander, he could be a perfect fit as a fourth or fifth starter.

Recently, David Schoenfield of ESPN recommended Michael Taylor as a possible fit for the Rockies as a defense-first centerfielder. Even though Charlie Blackmon has done a serviceable job there in his career, his defense got worse in 2018 and may be best served moving to a corner outfield spot.

So with both players needing new starts, a straight swap of the two players could be in order here. Taylor has two years of control and Gray has three, so the contracts will work out pretty well too for both sides.

Greg Bird, 1B

Perhaps towards the top of the Washington Nationals‘ minor needs is a backup first baseman who can spell Ryan Zimmerman frequently. Acquiring Greg Bird from the New York Yankees would give the team a long-term option to take over from the aging face of the franchise.

The Yankees are now caught up their new phenom at first base in Luke Voit, who became something of a cult hero with his impressive performance down the stretch last year. Because of Voit’s emergence last season, Yanks Go Yard even looked at the possibility of Bird starting in Triple-A.

Right now, they would likely roll with a combination of Voit and Bird at first, but the latter could be considered expendable in the right deal. So if terms can be agreed then the Nationals could pick up a perfect buy-low candidate with three years of arbitration still ahead of him.

Back in 2015, he slashed a very impressive .261/.343/.529 with 11 home runs, but since then, injuries have derailed his career. First, he had right labrum surgery that caused him to miss all of 2016, then right ankle issues forced him to miss time in 2017 and 2018 in which he put up an ugly combined .196/.287/.399 slash line.

When constructing a trade for Bird, while his value is lower than it was just a couple years ago, the Yankees will be reluctant to sell too low. GM Brian Cashman has long valued a dominant bullpen, making Koda Glover a possible fit for the Bronx.

After the Nats picked up Kyle Barraclough and Trevor Rosenthal, Glover would likely be in a middle-inning role as things stand. While the upside is high, he could be worth dealing in the right scenario. Then if we add in Jose Marmolejos as some nice first base depth and international signing money, that the Yankees value, that could be enough to get a deal done and potentially provide the team with a first baseman of the future.

(Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /

Ryan Buchter, RP

It almost seems like a yearly dance these days that the Washington Nationals and Oakland Athletics discuss a trade. This time, Ryan Buchter would be an interesting piece to change hands if the two sides come to yet another arrangement.

The Nats are still on the lookout for one last bullpen arm, possibly one who can double as a lefty specialist and a high-leverage pitcher if needed. Buchter has recorded three straight seasons with a sub-3.00 ERA while striking out more than a batter per inning.

During his career, left-handed hitters have only able to slash .165/.247/.292 against him compared to a .199/.299/.364 line against right-handers. So with those splits and the consistently low ERA, Buchter fits exactly the need the Nats might be after, as well as having three seasons of arbitration remaining on his deal.

When the A’s acquired Buchter, along with Brandon Moss, they sent Jesse Hahn and Heath Fillmyer to the Kansas City Royals for the left-hander. Now, with the team’s need for a starting pitcher this offseason, it could give us an idea about a trade package.

Someone like Tanner Roark would be a perfect fit for the Athletics, as they try to fill in their rotation with a cost-effective option due to the absence of Sean Manaea. Roark’s pitch-to-contact tendencies are also something that the cavernous Oakland Coliseum could support and help him thrive. A straight swap here could easily happen.

Scooter Gennett, 2B

Of the trades discussed in this article, this is probably the least likely given the moves made so far. But if the Washington Nationals were able to acquire Scooter Gennett from the Cincinnati Reds, it would get their lineup back to one of the best in the National League.

In his two seasons in Cincinnati, Gennett has hit .303 with 50 home runs and 189 RBI as well as a 124 OPS+. He’s been nothing short of a force at the plate, as the Nationals know all too well with his .333/.354/.553 slash line against them in his career.

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Although the Nats have publicly denied their need for an upgrade at the keystone, relying on a 35-year-old Howie Kendrick and underwhelming Wilmer Difo at the position is unwise. MLBTradeRumors projects the current Reds second baseman to make $10.7 million in his final year of arbitration in 2019. With Carter Kieboom waiting in the wings Gennett would be an impact one-year starter for the team.

While Gennett has been a revelation for the Reds since arriving from the Brewers, in the long run, it may be beneficial to trade him now after an All-Star season. Our sister site, Blog Red Machine, reasoned that with Nick Senzel and Shed Long looming in the minor leagues, an extension for the current second baseman may not make sense.

The Reds’ primary need moving forward is to address the lack of starting pitching that they currently have. So while starting pitching isn’t necessarily the Nationals’ strong suit heading into 2019, the impact that Gennett could have is worth giving up a pair of promising pitching prospects for.

Right now, Erick Fedde likely profiles as the Nats’ number six or seven starter on the depth chart and has several years of control, while he develops, which would make a nice half of the package. Then, Seth Romero would make up the other half as a high-upside prospect that the Reds could look to give a second shot to after off the field issues between college and the pros.

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It’s still unclear what the Washington Nationals actual activity level will be when representatives from all teams convene in Las Vegas. But if they look to keep up their aggressive approach to the offseason, then we may see a deal be made by the front office.

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