The Washington Nationals fell to the Houston Astros on Tuesday night by a score of 7-4, although the Nationals did have their chances to make it a legitimate game. The loss spelled the end of a brief but fun 3-game winning streak for a club that is less than 72 hours away from looking a whole lot different.
That would be because the 2025 MLB Trade Deadline is scheduled to arrive with its typical fireworks, and the Nationals are sure to be the ones lighting them off into the sky. While we are still awaiting for some more big news on a potential MacKenzie Gore deal to develop into anything more than rumors, we do have some slightly more concrete evidence around the trade profiles of a couple other players.
In what was likely his final start and appearance as a member of the Washington Nationals, righty Michael Soroka did not have his best stuff on Tuesday. He lasted just 3.1 innings, needing 74 pitches to get through the outing, although he did manage to only allow 2 earned runs on 4 hits while striking out 4 batters. It was not the blow-up start that it threatened to turn into, and Soroka again was able to limit damage.
This is good because Soroka, along with closer Kyle Finnegan, were both named as players that are 'expected' to be moved ahead of Thursday's trade deadline by MLB Insider Jim Bowden. A former GM, Bowden is pretty plugged in with a lot of what is going on around baseball, and it is fair to say that he is not off base at all in his beliefs.
The #Nationals are expected to move both right-handed pitchers Mike Soroka and Kyle Finnegan by 6 pm Thursday.
— Jim Bowden⚾️ (@JimBowdenGM) July 29, 2025
Fellow MLB Insider Jon Morosi also commented yesterday morning about Soroka's developing market, saying that the righty has been drawing interest from multiple contenders. The role for both Soroka and Finnegan on new teams would likely be in the bullpen, as Finnegan's track record speaks for itself while Soroka's lack of stamina makes him better suited as a late-inning relief option.
Outside of Soroka and Finnegan, a pair of guys who have been long deemed as the most likely trade assets on this current roster, there are still a handful of players who could be shipped out as well. Gore is the most notable, but plenty of useful players like Alex Call, Andrew Chafin, or potentially even less likely chips like Nathaniel Lowe or Paul DeJong. The bottom line is, with the deadline getting closer by the minute, expect breaking news to come at the drop of a hat when it comes to the Nationals.
Who should trade for Kyle Finnegan and Michael Soroka? As always, please let me know on X, @DCBerk.