The Nationals were three games over .500 heading into play on July 4, but a 6-9 record over their last 15 games has dropped the Nats back to even at 52-52. Washington is still only three games behind the Diamondbacks for the last NL wild card spot, but it’s a crowded race that also has three teams (the Pirates, Cardinals, and Marlins) ahead of the Nats, plus the Padres are a game back of the D.C. squad at 51-53.
The situation puts the Nationals sitting squarely on the fence as the trade deadline approaches, yet a .500 record on July 25 is worlds better than expected for a rebuilding club that was expected to be one of the worst in baseball. As such, the Nats haven’t given up hope on staying in the playoff race. “Barring a massive collapse” for the club in the next week, The Athletic’s Spencer Nusbaum writes that D.C. is aiming “to add at least one big-league player and will even consider acquiring a player on an expiring contract if they deem it is the right fit.”
This doesn’t mean the Nationals will suddenly push for Tarik Skubal or any other big names at the top of the trade market, as Nusbaum suggests that the buying could be something as modest as an inexpensive reliever to help Washington’s woeful bullpen. It also doesn’t mean that the Nats won’t stop fielding offers for the likes of CJ Abrams, Foster Griffin, or Luis Garcia Jr., as Washington’s deadline could involve both buying and selling.
[Related: Nationals Trade Deadline Outlook]
It’s a logical stance to take for a .500 club, especially one that could still get on track if the Nationals could get even an average level of pitching. The Nats rank 24th of 30 teams in starter ERA (4.51) and 28th in bullpen ERA (5.03), but the team’s high-powered offense leads baseball with 569 runs and 151 home runs. It would’ve been easy for the Nationals’ front office to already be waving the white flag in light of the team’s mediocre play in the last three weeks, yet the Nats’ lineup is so potent that it is easy to see why there’s still motivation to add to the roster.
Moving Abrams or Garcia would obviously detract from that offense, quite possibly to the point of offsetting what gains might be made by adding bullpen help or a starting pitcher. Since Abrams is under arbitration control through 2028 and Garcia through 2027, however, the Nationals aren’t necessarily under any pressure to move either player by the deadline. Unless another club emerges with a knockout trade offer, Washington could keep Abrams and Garcia to see how things play out in 2026 before potentially revisiting trade talks during the winter.
There’s more of a ticking clock on Griffin, as the breakout left-hander is a free agent at season’s end. That said, Washington is still thinking about keeping Griffin and attempting to sign him to a contract extension. Griffin is perhaps the key figure to watch, as moving their best pitcher would be the clearest sign that Washington will ultimately be in sell mode by August 3.
Any of Abrams, Garcia, or Griffin would be major gets for another contender, so plenty of teams will surely be monitoring the Nationals to see how their fluid deadline plans continue to evolve. Likewise, one would imagine any team with pitching to spare has already been in touch with Nats president of baseball ops Paul Toboni to gauge interest, or to see if perhaps some kind of need-for-need swap can be arranged.
