District On Deck
FanSided

Washington Nationals: Trade Profile Hanser Alberto

By Max Rayman

WASHINGTON, DC - AUGUST 08: Hanser Alberto #57 of the Baltimore Orioles bats against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on August 8, 2020 in Washington, DC. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - AUGUST 08: Hanser Alberto #57 of the Baltimore Orioles bats against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park on August 8, 2020 in Washington, DC. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

With the MLB trade deadline looming, this week we will be taking a look at different players the Nationals should target. First up is Hanser Alberto.

The trade deadline is slowly coming up (August 31) and all this week we will be rolling out our trade profiles. For our first trade profile for the 2020 season, we will be focusing on offensive help and we decided to look to our Beltway friends for reinforcements. Enter Hanso Alberto.

Trade Target: Hanser Alberto

Position: Second Base

Team: Baltimore Orioles

Why This Trade Makes Sense

The Nationals offense has been dreadful and the return of Juan Soto hasn’t helped much. Washington needs another consistent bat at the top of the lineup that would help with jumpstarting the offense. The Orioles Hanser Alberto is just the guy. Alberto is a lesser-known name due to playing for the Baltimore Orioles, but man can this guy hit. In 18 games this season, Alberto is hitting .337, with two homers, 10 RBIs, and an OPS of .898. His 28 hits are 11 more than Starlin Castro, who leads the Nats with 17. Adding Alberto would be an immediate upgrade to a lineup that has struggled to get on base. While Turner has started to heat up, Hanser can take over as the number two hitter while Adam Eaton tries to figure things out. For the Orioles who have been hot, now would be a great time to sell high on Alberto on the off chance he falls back down to earth. For example, last season in 139 games he hit .305, but only posted an OPS of .751. His WRC+ and fWAR of 96 and 1.9 respectively, didn’t fully back his season.

With the news that Starlin Castro broke his wrist, the Nats have a big hole at second base. Alberto would be a perfect replacement.

Why It Wouldn’t

Entering the season, the Orioles were projected to battle for the number one pick in the draft, but the team had other plans. Through 18 games, the Orioles are 11-7 and sit 1.5 games behind the New York Yankees for first place in the AL East. For the 2020 season, the playoffs have been expanded so that eight teams from each league make it and due to this, the Orioles currently own the top Wild Card spot. With the way, they have been playing, trading away one of their top hitters would be a questionable decision. Alberto is the engine that drives the Orioles offense and his absence would set the team back. Washington would have to blow away the O’s with an offer in order to pry him away.

Is It Possible?

While Washington’s farm system has taken a huge hit over the years, they still have the draft capital and are far enough below the luxury tax to make this trade work.

Projected Trade Offer

Washington receives: Hanser Alberto

Baltimore receives: Mason Denaburg and a player to be named later.

Home/Nationals News