This turned out to be one of the more active trading periods in recent memory, with the Nationals relieving themselves of many of their players, including two stars. Gone are Max Scherzer, Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber, Daniel Hudson, Josh Harrison, Yan Gomes, Brad Hand, and Jon Lester. Without Scherzer, Turner, and Schwarber, the Nationals don’t have much of a chance of winning the division. In fact, it was likely the injury to Schwarber that sealed the fate of the team, as his hot streak came to an end, so did the chances of the Nationals making the playoffs.
What did they get in return? The deal with the Dodgers that involved the two stars yielded four players. Gerardo Carrillo and Josiah Gray are right-handed pitchers. Carrillo is a high K, high BB pitcher working at AA at age 22. Gray made his major league debut this season but has not pitched much. In the minors he posted outstanding three-true outcomes in 198 innings, with a 2.41 ERA. Donovan Casey plays the outfield. His seasonal age is 25 and he never played above AA. His stats are fine, but he doesn’t seem like a prospect to me. Keibert Ruiz catches. He played in eight major league games, and two of his three hits were home runs. He is seasonal age 22 and hit .300/.355/.447 in six minor league seasons, and lit up AAA in 271 PA. Ruiz and Gray, the batter, is the haul from this deal.
Others of interest:
- Drew Millas, an outfielder who gets on base
- Seth Shuman, a RHP with excellent three true outcomes
- Riley Adams, a catcher who gets on base
- Aldo Ramirez, a 20 year old RHP with outstanding three true outcome numbers.
That’s six good players that the Nationals should control a long time. With a number of good shortstops hitting the free agent market this winter, the supply should keep the price down. This could turn out to be a very quick rebuild for Washington.
On the other side, Scherzer and Turner are basically replacements for the likely soon to be suspended Trevor Bauer and the soon to be a free agent Corey Seager. Turner will play second base until Seager leaves, or gets injured again. Oakland gets some depth, the Red Sox get a slugger to match the Yankees acquisitions, and other teams fill some holes. The Nationals helped themselves and everyone else.