As MASN’s Mark Zuckerman pointed out on the Xitter yesterday, three of the ten complete game shutouts in Major League Baseball this season have come against the Nationals, courtesy of Erick Fedde (Cardinals), David Peterson (Mets), and now Nick Lodolo (Reds). This particular game also highlighted how poorly the Nats continue to play in day games, with yesterday afternoon’s loss dropping them to 13-30, a .302 winning percentage that is significantly worse than 28 other teams in baseball (the Rockies, naturally, are 12-29).

I don’t have any inside information, but it would appear that the organization in whatever responsible capacity (be it Mike Rizzo, Mike DeBartolo, Davey Martinez, Miguel Cairo, older veterans, whomever) has not impressed enough on this young roster the importance of resting your body enough to be ready for a quick turnaround day game. I’m not saying that any of them are partying in the wee hours before a noon start, but I do know that 23-year-olds stay up too late for no good reason, particularly if their job is evening-based. I’ve been one of them. And in day games, the Nats not only lose seventy percent of the time but typically look bad doing it, with quick plate appearances, a couple of booted plays in the field, a reliever meltdown, and/or a TOOTBLAN or three all commonplace occurrences.

There is a lot of raw talent on the offensive side - after all, the Nats are capable of popping off for seven or more runs on any given night. James Wood is a special hitter now, and CJ Abrams can go thermonuclear for a month or more at a time. However, as Ryan Zimmerman pointed out during the telecast on Tuesday night, the entire team needs to be more consistent and make that a point of emphasis for the remaining 60 games of the season.

Nick Lodolo is a respectable major league starter who is having a good season for the Reds, thanks in large part to significantly cutting his walk rate from a year ago (from 2.9 to 1.8). And he carved up the Nats on 105 pitches (barely missing a Maddux, a complete game shutout in fewer than 100 pitches), walking none and allowing just one Nat to reach second base (Luis García Jr. on an eighth-inning double). The Nats also had an error (a bad throw by Brady House) and a base-running blunder (James Wood getting hosed trying to steal second in the first inning), so it felt very much like a Nationals day game. Michael Soroka recorded seventeen outs on 88 pitches while allowing a lone run, a start which might have gone a fair way towards helping his trade value for next week. He was followed by Cole Henry, Konnor Pilkington, Jackson Rutledge (who let the game get away a bit), and Andry Lara (who allowed the final two runs, one unearned). In 3 1/3 innings, the Nats’ relievers managed just one strikeout (by Pilkington) - they weren’t sharp either.

Let’s assume for a second that after the trade deadline the Nats have moved on from Kyle Finnegan, Amed Rosario, Josh Bell, Nathaniel Lowe, Michael Soroka, and Alex Call, whether by trade or DFA (I do not think they will trade MacKenzie Gore unless they are blown away by an unlikely Godfather offer that they can’t turn down). Of those six names, I think the Nats are likely to value Finnegan - the longest-tenured National - the most, and other teams are going to value Rosario - who can’t hit righties and should never be trusted with a glove except in an absolute emergency - the least.

Call is a sneaky trade candidate because, although he remains under team control through 2029 the Nats have a surplus of outfielders who need to/should prove themselves with major league reps and he would make sense for a team who can use a grinder that will work some walks and bring some energy (like the Reds, for example).

That hypothetical deadline scenario would leave six spots on both the 40-man roster and the 26-man active roster - who would fill those roles? The easiest would be activating Dylan Crews from the 60-day IL to take Call’s place, followed by (at long last) recalling Cade Cavalli to fill Soroka’s rotation slot. Andrés Chaparro would come for Bell, and should the Nats find a taker for Lowe - who is in danger of being non-tendered this winter - it seems likely that Yohandy Morales would be summoned for his debut to become the first baseman for the rest of the year. Depending on how DeBartolo and Cairo want to utilize the roster spot, Rosario could be backfilled by any of José Tena (platoon bat), Nasim Nuñez (defensive replacement and pinch runner), or Trey Lipscomb (a true utility spot).

That leaves the final move for a reliever to replace Finnegan, and this might be the reason that for all of his struggles lately (due to the team’s swoon Finnegan barely pitched in June, and I firmly believe that he is a guy who is better when he’s getting regular work) the Nationals might not entertain any offers for him. Eduardo Sálazar and Zach Brzykcy have been lights out in limited innings for the Red Wings, and apart from the also-small sample size of Holden Powell (2.40 ERA in 15 innings) those two have been far and away the best Rochester relievers. I do not trust Sálazar one iota unless the game is beyond slam range in either direction, and Scrabble Two has been committing the twin cardinal sins at the MLB level of walking too many guys and giving up too many bombs. Does DeBartolo say “the hell with it” and promote Marquis Grissom Jr. and his 6.04 ERA? Or does he give the Brick another shot to stick? These are the questions that next week will answer.

📌 2025 MLB trade deadline preview: Passan's intel on every team (ESPN)

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