Rizzo at the trade deadline [RIZZO POINTS TO HEAD]:
First, Hunter Harvey, who was acquired on the waiver wire in 2022, was the Royals’ No. 2 prospect (List of MLBPipelines), and a competitive balance-round pick in this year’s draft (39th overall) used by Washington against UC Berkeley catcher Caleb Lomavita.
He signed a free agent contract with the Nationals this winter. New York Mets The Nationals traded the deal for 24-year-old pitcher Tyler Stewart (sixth round pick in 2022 draft), who was rated by MLB Pipeline scouts as the 17th overall player in the Nationals’ system and the fourth-highest ranked right-handed pitcher in the organization.
Lane Thomas is St. Louis Cardinals At the 2021 deadline, he was traded to the Guardians in exchange for Jon Lester, which also included three top Cleveland prospects, 19-year-old left-hander Alex Clemmey, the highest-ranked left-handed pitcher in the Nationals’ system according to MLB Pipeline’s list, 23-year-old infielder Jose Tena and 19-year-old infielder Rafael Ramirez Jr.
Just before the deadline, Dylan Floro, who had a resurgent 2023 contract with DC after a lackluster start, signed a one-year deal. Arizona Diamondbacks (The Nationals are playing now) in exchange for 25-year-old infielder Andres Chaparro, who hit .332 with 26 doubles, one triple, 19 home runs and 75 RBIs.[s]He appeared in 95 games for Triple-A Reno, walking 41, stealing three bases, scoring 69 runs and “leading Arizona in batting average, on-base percentage (.403) and hits (122).”
General manager and president of team operations Mike Rizzo, speaking on a Zoom call after the trade deadline, said it’s a success story for the franchise in turning those traded players into seven top prospects, several of whom are now ranked in the top 20 within the organization.
“I think this is a success story of scouting and player development,” Rizzo explained. “We acquired Harvey, Winker and Thomas at the trade deadline and off waivers. We acquired these guys in a unique way, and our player development guys developed them into players that other teams wanted, and we got some really good, impactful prospects because of our hard work. We’re excited about the process here and I think it’s worked very well. I’m looking forward to taking a look at these new guys, getting them, putting them in our development guys’ hands and seeing if we can turn them into players that can help us on our next major league championship team.”
With the 2024 draft and its deadline now behind us, Rizzo said he’s pleased with the work the team has done to strengthen its roster and accelerate the process of building the next generation.legally) A competitive team.
“I thought we accomplished a lot of our goals leading up to the trade deadline,” he told reporters.
“We feel like the minor league system is more robust and has some impact players. I think it will prove to be very beneficial in the long run.”
“We’re excited to get them back. We feel like this process has worked out well for us. We’re really happy and excited for a lot of the guys we have back.”
What were Coach Rizzo and the front office’s goals this fourth deadline for restructuring?
“We attacked the trade deadline just like we did the draft,” he explained. “We tried to get the most impactful player possible with each trade because we think it’s about the depth of impact. We attacked the middle of the diamond, the pitcher’s mound and the middle of the diamond. We got exciting players. With Harvey, Loma Vita was a product of the trade deadline, we got Caden Wallace, we got a left-handed pitcher with the potential and pedigree that Klem has. Tena was something we thought was a good addition for us, and Ramirez Jr. is a guy that we’re going to watch develop. So we thought we got the most impactful prospects possible.”
Eric Louve/The Providence Journal/USA Today Network
Both Harvey and Thomas had more than a year of team control remaining, so the Nationals were prepared to listen to both and, if either player met the high bar they had set, consider trading either of them or keeping them, as they did with Kyle Finnegan.He also has more than a year left to live.Why did they trade Thomas and not Finnegan? Was it easier to trade an outfielder than a closer in a deep system?
“I think that played a role, but in this situation, I think we were able to get guys that had market value,” Rizzo said. “That’s why we pulled the trigger. We had guys like Clem, Tena and Ramirez, all 19 years old, who have a lot of potential. [Jr.]Given their surplus value and the impact they could have and the upside they all have, I think it was a good payoff for a really good player in Lane Thomas.”
With it being a seller’s market for relief pitchers (see: Harvey’s return), was there no right deal for Finnegan?
“It had to be market value. That’s what we were going for. This guy pitches at the tail end of the ballgame,” Rizzo said of the closer who is reportedly very popular. “He’s proven he can play the closer role. I don’t think we were looking for anything hype, but we were looking for market value as a closer who could be signed for another year. That was a big factor. We weren’t holding guys back or being forced to move them because of expiring contracts or financial implications. We like the guy, he’s going to help us this year and next, he’s a great guy, he’s a good relief pitcher, he can hit the ball any time.” [manager] Davy [Martinez] “He’s our Bulldog and very selfless at that. He’s our bottom-ninth guy. None of the deals we had in mind caught the eye of the market so we talked it through and looked at whether the deal would change, but in the end it just wasn’t a deal we were comfortable with and we didn’t need to move any players. We really like having him at the back of our bullpen.”
The Nationals are on the verge of fielding a competitive franchise in the near future in the front office’s opinion, but did they approach this year’s deadline any differently than the past three years?
“As I’ve said before, we approach this trade deadline with the goal of maximizing long-term efficiencies, which means low risk for big gains, which is what we’re looking for and what we’ve been looking for this year and, in fact, every year.”
And after four years of selling, could they look to buy instead next year? Would they be happy buyers if the club is as close as they think it is now?
“It’s more fun that way,” Rizzo said. “I get that. It’s a lot more fun to acquire an All-Star player than it is to give up a player, so it’ll be a lot more fun from that standpoint. But it’s hard, it’s a tough time for the players, and we recognize that and we think it’s a necessary time. I think this organization, this front office has done a great job and they’ve always done a great job at the trade deadline, and I think this year was no exception.”
“Yeah, it’s going to be awesome,” Martinez said of last night’s brutal loss to the Diamondbacks. “It’s just a matter of us starting to do it. [buying vs selling]It means that at the end of the year we will really be playing for something. I don’t think we have lost anything at this point. We are getting closer…”
But they’ll likely be even more competitive next year with the addition of some more highly-rated major league prospects, and they could finally acquire the players they deem necessary through free agency or a trade.
“A year from now is a long way off, so we’re going to focus on today,” Martinez said, in his usual brand-speak.
