With the Nationals performing above this year’s expectations, the front office will have some interesting questions that they will have to answer this year. Most of the big questions revolve around the pitching rotation of the starters and the bullpen. Entering tonight’s game, the Nationals starting rotation ranks first in strikeouts with 74, third in WHIP with 1.09 ERA, and fourth with a 3.89 strikeout/walk ratio since May 22nd.

Surprisingly, Nationals bullpen has been a strength of the team this year. As of tonight, it ranks second in the National League in allowed home runs per nine innings, and also in opponents’ slugging percentage with .357.

What to do with Trevor Williams and Kyle Finnegan.

The biggest question? What the Nationals should do with their two top pitchers, right-hander Trevor Williams and right-handed closer Kyle Finnegan.

Williams just landed on the 15-day IL list due to a flexor muscle in his right forearm, and according to media reports, it looks like there is no firm timetable for his return, so contending teams might be taking a second look at what they want to or even offer the Nationals in return for his services down the stretch.

Should the Nationals even put him on the trade list? Even with Josiah Gray and Cade Cavalli both set to return to the pitching rotation in late June or early July, the Nationals still need veteran leadership for this young pitching staff. Williams has earned his spot with the team moving forward for this season and even beyond. Williams is in the middle of a career year at 32, having pitched 56 1/3 innings with a 2.22 ERA, and hasn’t lost a game that he has started this year.

What further complicates the Williams situation is that he is playing out the second season of a two-year, $13MM contract and is slated to hit free agency at the end of the season.  It begs the question: should the Nationals try to lock him up to a long-term deal, and if he rejects it, should the Nationals trade him?

Other questions include what happens if the Nationals still hang around in the NL Wild Card race. (There are a lot of other sub-500 clubs hanging around at the moment.) Williams could play a key role in securing a spot for the last spot in the NL Wild Card. This makes the Williams situation very interesting, to say the least, and one of the many stories that I will be following closely.

The other pitcher on the Nationals pitching staff performing extremely well and drawing much attention is closer RHP Kyle Finnegan.

The 32-year-old RHP Kyle Finnegan ranks fifth in Major League Baseball and third in the NL with 16 saves this season. He’s also tied for sixth place among National League relievers with a .152 opponents' average. Finnegan is performing extremely well, making him an interesting piece for the Nationals to trade and get some prospects in return. Should the Nationals trade him? I still say no. The closer position for the Nationals has always been an issue for the team, and it looks like they have solved the problem with Finnegan.

Should the Nationals be buyers?

One big question that comes to mind is should the Nationals should be “buyers” at the trade deadline if they are within arm’s reach of a Wild Card spot. The short answer is a hard no, and here is the long answer on why the team shouldn’t be buyers even if they are within arm’s reach of a playoff spot.

While the Nationals have a lot of talent deep and throughout the minors, developing some of their top prospects should still be front and center. If the Nationals can make the playoffs (which would be a remarkable turnaround, to say the least), the young core of the Nationals currently on the team would highly benefit from playoff experience, no matter what happens.

What should the Nationals do at the trade deadline?

After laying out the over-arching questions, here are some of my ideas on what the Nationals should do at the trade deadline:

The number one focus should be finally moving on from LHP Patrick Corbin. With Gray and Cavalli returning to the rotation, their development, and already having two other lefties in the pitching rotation, there isn’t longer a need for Corbin.

Stay put and wait for the best possible offer. There is so much talent right now in the minors. With prospects like James Wood knocking at the door of the majors, the development of the future Washington Nationals should continue to be the number one priority for the team. Trading reliable pieces just for the possibility of adding more depth to the farm system might be the best course of action for the Nationals; however, at the end of the day, the Nationals should stay put, and if there isn’t an offer that they “can’t refuse,” from another team, the Nationals shouldn’t do anything.

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