Analyzing the Prospect Haul from the Nationals’ Trade Deadline Moves

Posted on July 31, 2021 by Marc Goldstein

The Nationals made some of the most heart wrenching, devastating moves in recent history on Thursday evening. They sent both Trea Turner and Max Scherzer, franchise icons, to the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for multiple prospects. Later that night, Daniel Hudson was dealt to the San Diego Padres. Around that time, it was Kyle Schwarber’s turn to find a new home, this time with the Boston Red Sox. Thursday morning, Brad Hand was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays in what was the first move for the team. The Nationals are punting on this season in exchange for better days in the future. That is admirable due to the landscape of the current MLB with the best teams not only having talented rosters, but deep, rich farm systems. The Nationals had a bottom tier system and needed an infusion of talent.  Continue reading →

Posted in Analysis, DaveMartinez, Lerners, MikeRizzo, NewsAndNotes, Prospects, Roster, Scherzer, Turner, YanGomes | Leave a comment

Nats win behind Espino’s longest outing and power from Luis Garcia and Josh Bell!

Posted on July 30, 2021 by Stephen G. "Ghost" Mears

Luis Garcia photo by Steve Mears for TalkNats

The new-look Washington Nationals got their first win since the trade deadline. With a depleted roster due to injuries and trades, the Nats beat a Cubs team in the same situation. Maybe the best part was journeyman 34 ½ year old rookie, Paolo Espino, beat former Cy Young pitcher, Jake Arrieta, of the Cubs. Just another notch in Espino’s belt. Continue reading →

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Game #103 Nats and Cubs look like a split-squad road game matchup after trade deadline moves!

Posted on July 30, 2021 by Stephen G. "Ghost" Mears

Photo by Sol Tucker for TalkNats

The difference a day makes. This Washington Nationals roster looks like a scene from 2008 with Juan Soto playing the role of a third-year Ryan Zimmerman. The Cubs look the same. Both teams went into fire sale mode before this year’s trade deadline. Continue reading →

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Battle of the Depleted, pits Nats against the Cubs

Posted on July 30, 2021 by Marc Goldstein

Nationals.com photo

Two of the most targeted teams of the Trade Deadline will meet in a series Friday night in Washington. The Nationals and Cubs, fresh off a Trade Deadline that saw both teams trade some of the faces of the respective franchises, will now battle for the next three games. In May, the two teams played one another in Wrigley Field, and the series did not disappoint. The Cubs looked like real contenders for the first time under manager David Ross, but soon fizzled out.  Continue reading →

Posted in Analysis, Corbin, DaveMartinez, Fedde, Games, JBell, JRoss, NewsAndNotes, Prospects, RyanZimmerman, Schedule, Soto, Starters, Stevenson, Strasburg, VictorRobles | Leave a comment

Nats are closing in on a blockbuster with the Dodgers! Rizzo still has other players to trade!

Posted on July 29, 2021 by Stephen G. "Ghost" Mears

Photo by Sol Tucker for TalkNats

By this time tomorrow, we will know who the Nationals have after the dust settles on the 2021 trade deadline. With no waiver trades in August like prior years, this deadline is it. The rumor mills are swirling about Max Scherzer, Trea Turner, Daniel Hudson, Josh Harrison, and Kyle Schwarber. It looks close to done that by tomorrow that Scherzer and Turner will be wearing Dodgers blue with a haul coming back of at least Keibert Ruiz and Josiah Gray and a couple more players. Continue reading →

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Game #102 Nats are trying to upset the Phillies!

Posted on July 29, 2021 by Stephen G. "Ghost" Mears

Photo by Sol Tucker for TalkNats

Play ball in game two of this abbreviated 7-inning doubleheader, weather permitting, of course. The Nats are up two games to one in this four-game series, and they are trying to upset the Phillies and their postseason aspirations. Continue reading →

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Nats playing the role of spoiler well with 2 straight wins, and #183 for Max!

Posted on July 29, 2021 by Stephen G. "Ghost" Mears

Photo by Sol Tucker for TalkNats

A final inning 2-run, 429 foot bomb, from Yan Gome,s who returned from the 10-day IL today, to win it for Max Scherzer and the Washington Nationals who are in spoiler mode in Philadelphia. Due to Brad Hand being traded earlier today, and Daniel Hudson on the COVID IL list, it was Kyle Finnegan who pitched a perfect final inning for his first career save. That win gave Scherzer his 183rd win of his career and he finished with 2,931 strikeouts, just 69 from 3,000 in his career. Continue reading →

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Game #101 is an aces showdown! Lots of roster moves!

Posted on July 29, 2021 by Stephen G. "Ghost" Mears

Photo by Lynn G. for TalkNats

As of now, Max Scherzer is your starter for the first scheduled game of this doubleheader. There are so many dynamics to what is going on with trade rumors, injuries, and roster moves. Continue reading →

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What to expect for a potential Max Scherzer Trade

Posted on July 28, 2021 by Marc Goldstein

Photo by Sol Tucker for TalkNats

The 2021 season has, in the past few weeks following the All Star Break, soured for the Nationals. The past week has been the biggest indication for the front office that this current roster is incapable of making a run. For the first time in his tenure as general manager, Mike Rizzo is preparing to sell off pieces at the Trade Deadline, one of which is Max Scherzer. Remember, Rizzo sold-off in 2018, but did so after the trade deadline. The Nationals’ ace is one of the biggest names on the trade block this year. He is in his contract year, and the Nationals owe it to him to give him another chance to win a World Series if Scherzer wants to waive his no-trade rights. Of course even if Scherzer goes to another team, the door could still open for him to re-sign in the offseason with the Nats.

There are some very compelling scenarios for Rizzo to score some top prospects, and all packages will be hinged to how many dollars the Nationals will eat for the current season, and if the package includes more than Scherzer such as Daniel Hudson and Brad Hand.

The NL West teams where it is rumored that Scherzer would like to go is loaded with top prospects.  Would Rizzo go for quantity or the quality of headliners in a trade? You would hope that it is the latter where Rizzo could score a team’s top prospect in a trade.

Continue reading →

Posted in Analysis, NewsAndNotes, NLEast, Playoffs, Prospects, Roster, Scherzer | Leave a comment

Game #101 is cancelled due to COVID

Posted on July 28, 2021 by Stephen G. "Ghost" Mears

July 26, 2021; PHILADELPHIA, PA, Citizens Bank Ballpark | Photo by Sol Tucker for TalkNats

Dugouts are small spaces. Trea Turner was put on the COVID list yesterday officially by the Washington Nationals. Good luck with contact tracing. Tonight’s game has been postponed against the Phillies. Worse than that is the contact tracing to see how far this contagious virus spread. According to reports, many others have contracted COVID.

All of this is happening on top of the numerous injuries that has claimed several starters like Stephen Strasburg who is out of the season, and short-term injuries to Kyle Schwarber, Yan Gomes, and last night Victor Robles injured his oblique.

The team was already set to take the field with just two projected starters from the start of the season with only Juan Soto and Josh Bell available.

Manager Dave Martinez told reporters last night in his postgame that there were no other players identified to be in close contact with Turner. Today three more players (unidentified) have test positive for COVID as well as 8 staff members. Martinez believes that only one of the 12 infected individuals is unvaccinated.  The Nationals will now conduct additional testing and contact tracing.

“I am very concerned,” Martinez said this afternoon. “We all took rapid tests today. We’ll follow-up, we’ll get additional results [Thursday]. Hopefully, no one else will test positive.”

“But yes, there is some concern here right now. As soon as the game got canceled, I got everybody out of here and on a bus and back to the hotel. I want to do the same thing myself.”

Of course everyone remembers that the Nationals season opened under COVID protocols as 9 players were put on the COVID IL and the entire Opening Day and series was postponed.

Friday marks the end of the trade deadline and several Nats players could be on the move.

Continue reading →

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