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The Washington Nationals are once again poised to be active sellers at the 2025 MLB trade deadline, focusing on moving veteran players with expiring contracts while safeguarding their young core of talent. Under interim GM Mike DeBartolo, the Nationals seem committed to building around promising stars such as James Wood, CJ Abrams, Dylan Crews, and MacKenzie Gore, all of whom remain untouchable in trade talks. At the same time, the team aims to acquire controllable young talent and prospects to accelerate their rebuild and position themselves for future playoff contention.
The most likely veterans to be traded include All-Star closer Kyle Finnegan, switch-hitting first baseman Josh Bell, pitchable starter and reliever Michael Soroka, versatile infielder Amed Rosario, and first baseman Nathaniel Lowe. These players either have expiring contracts or are arbitration-eligible in the short term, making them valuable trade chips for contending teams looking to bolster their rosters for a postseason push.
Several contending teams fit the profile of ideal trade partners:
The New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers seek bullpen reinforcements amid injuries and performance inconsistencies, making Finnegan and Soroka attractive targets.
The Atlanta Braves aim to strengthen their bullpen and offense, potentially targeting Finnegan and Bell.
The New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies require bullpen assistance, with the Phillies’ bullpen instability and suspensions sparking interest in veteran relievers like Finnegan and possibly infielder options like Rosario.
The Milwaukee Brewers look to add power and depth, with Bell’s recent offensive surge making him a prime candidate for their lineup.
The Nationals’ trade strategy focuses on acquiring young, cost-controlled players and pitching prospects with upside to build a sustainable competitive window. Specific scenarios that the Nationals could pursue include:
Trading Kyle Finnegan to the Texas Rangers for left-handed pitching prospects Joe Whitman and Jacob Bresnahan. This rental trade allows the Rangers to shore up their bullpen while providing Washington with young arms to restock its farm system.
Moving Finnegan to the Philadelphia Phillies for a mid-level pitching prospect ready to contribute soon, matching the Phillies’ urgent bullpen need and geographic proximity within the NL East.
Sending Josh Bell to the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for an affordable young bat—potentially a corner outfielder or infielder—to bolster the Nationals’ lineup depth during the rebuild.
Trading Michael Soroka to the Los Angeles Dodgers for a controllable young pitching prospect or bullpen arm, leveraging Dodgers’ farm system depth while addressing Washington’s pitching pipeline goals.
Dealing Amed Rosario to the New York Mets for a middle infielder prospect with near-MLB readiness, fulfilling Mets’ depth requirements and Nationals’ desire for cost-controlled talent in the infield.
Beyond their headline prospects, the Nationals possess a deeper pool of talent in the minors. However, the influx of highly-touted prospects has created playing time logjams for several capable players who have excelled in the system but remain blocked from advancing to the majors. Notable names on this short list include:
Daren Baker, a versatile infielder known for his glove and leadership.
Jackson Cluff, an advanced middle infielder with strong defense and on-base skills.
Nick Schnell, an outfielder with solid speed and defensive instincts.
Andrés Chaparro, a corner infielder possessing notable power potential.
Moving these capable but blocked players presents a strategic opportunity for the Nationals to acquire useful trade returns. By trading players like Baker, Cluff, Schnell, and Chaparro to organizations with clearer pathways to playing time, Washington can bring back prospects from positions where they have organizational surplus, fill other roster needs, and thereby enhance the overall balance and flexibility of their farm system. This approach also creates clearer developmental tracks for the team's core top-tier prospects, helping to accelerate the rebuild while maximizing asset value and organizational depth.
The Nationals are unlikely to part with cornerstone players like CJ Abrams or James Wood, preserving a young nucleus around which the team can build. Instead, the focus is squarely on exchanging veterans on short-term deals for pitchers and position players who fit the team’s long-term competitive timeline.
This approach strikes a balance between immediate roster flexibility and the ambition to accelerate the Nationals’ return to playoff contention by restocking their farm system with high-upside arms and reinforcing their positional depth. It marks a clear strategic path forward while recognizing the value of the talent currently under club control.
As the Washington Nationals navigate the 2025 trade deadline, their strategy of exchanging veteran assets for young, controllable talent underscores a clear commitment to building a competitive future.
While moving key veterans like Finnegan, Bell, and Soroka may feel like a short-term sacrifice, it’s a calculated step toward assembling a sustainable core capable of playoff success. The critical question now is: will these trades provide the Nationals with the boost they need in both talent and depth to emerge as contenders in the coming seasons?