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Nationals “More Than Likely” To Place Hunter Harvey On 15-Day Injured List

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Hunter Harvey felt soreness in his right triceps following his outing on Saturday, and is set to undergo an MRI today to fully access any damage.  Nationals manager Davey Martinez told reporters (including Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com) that “more than likely,” Harvey will be headed to the 15-day injured list since “I’d rather be very careful, very cautious with him.”  X-rays were “clean” on Harvey’s arm yesterday, so that it at least some positive news that the right-hander has avoided another serious injury.

However, the Nats’ caution is certainly understandable given the potential seriousness of any triceps or elbow-related injury, as well as Harvey’s own personal injury history.  Most prominently, Harvey underwent a Tommy John surgery in 2016, and his career has been repeatedly stalled by various health issues.  After Washington claimed him off waivers from the Giants in March 2022, Harvey made four appearances for the Nats before missing close to three months with a right pronator strain.

When Harvey has been able to pitch, he has been quite effective over his two seasons with the Nationals.  Since the start of the 2022 campaign, the righty has a 2.82 ERA, 28.5% strikeout rate, and a 7.6% walk rate over 79 2/3 relief innings.  Harvey has also racked up nine saves since taking over the closer’s job from Kyle Finnegan, further enhancing both his value to the Nats and his potential worth as a deadline trade chip.

Because of the stop-and-start nature of Harvey’s injury-hampered career, he is only in his first year of arbitration eligibility, so Washington still holds team control over his services through the 2025 season.  This means that Harvey wasn’t a surefire candidate to be moved at the deadline, but with the Nationals still in rebuild mode, there was certainly an argument to be made for D.C. to sell high on Harvey.  Unfortunately, it now doesn’t seem that Harvey will even be back from the IL before the August 1 deadline, unless a clean MRI and no lingering soreness results in a minimum 15-day absence.  Even then, it’s hard to imagine that a trade suitor would be willing to give up any sort of decent return without some clear evidence that Harvey is healthy.

Tyler Danish Opts Out Of Nationals Contract

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Tyler Danish has opted out of his minor league deal with the Nationals, MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand reports (Twitter link).  Danish signed with Washington at the start of May, after being released from a previous minors contract with the Yankees at the end of Spring Training.

Over 29 relief innings with Triple-A Rochester, Danish posted a 3.72 ERA, with a 15.3% strikeout rate and a 11.5% walk rate.  The low strikeout rate isn’t necessarily a surprise since Danish is a grounder specialist (his groundball rate is a whopping 58.7% this year), but his high walk rate continues the control problems that have emerged over his last two seasons at the minor league level.  The Nationals apparently hadn’t seen enough to add Danish to their active roster, or to make room for him on the 40-man.

The 28-year-old right-hander will now head back to the open market once more, looking for another path back to the big leagues.  Danish appeared in parts of the 2016-18 seasons with the White Sox (for 13 total innings) before resurfacing back in the majors with the Red Sox in 2022, posting a 5.13 ERA over 40 1/3 frames.

Jeimer Candelario Day-To-Day With Bone Bruise In Thumb

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  • Jeimer Candelario is a much clearer trade candidate as the deadline approaches, but the Nationals third baseman got an injury scare of his own yesterday when he injured his thumb during a pregame fielding drill.  Manager Davey Martinez described the injury as a bone bruise, and Candelario tried to play through the pain but had to leave the game after his first at-bat.  Candelario is day to day for now, as Martinez told reporters (including Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com) that the infielder was hoping to be ready as soon as tonight’s game with the Cardinals.  While there’s no truly good time for an injury, the timing is particularly bad for Candelario and the Nats with the deadline approaching.  Even a minimal IL stint will likely impact the club’s chances of maximizing value in a trade, or it could scuttle the chances of a deal altogether.

Nationals, Rico Garcia Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Nationals have agreed to a minor league deal with right-handed reliever Rico Garcia, reports Jessica Kleinschmidt. The Gaeta Sports client is headed to Triple-A Rochester for the time being.

Garcia, 29, rejected an outright assignment from the A’s earlier this week, instead electing to become a free agent. He’d pitched 8 2/3 innings out of the Oakland bullpen prior to being designated for assignment. In that short stint, he was tagged for eight runs on 13 hits and five walks with six punchouts while averaging 95.5 mph on his heater. Overall, Garcia has a 6.29 ERA in parts of four Major League seasons, but that’s come in a minuscule sample of just 32 2/3 innings between the A’s, Orioles, Giants and Rockies.

At the Triple-A level, Garcia has had considerably better results — particularly over the past two seasons. After pitching to a 2.34 ERA in 34 2/3 frames with the Orioles’ top affiliate last year, he’s logged 25 1/3 innings of 3.20 ERA ball with the Athletics’ Triple-A club so far in 2023. Since last year, Garcia has a 2.70 ERA with a 28.7% strikeout rate but a troublesome 13.7% walk rate. That includes an 18.6% rate of issuing free passes this year, but command issues of that magnitude haven’t existed in the past; Garcia has walked only 8.4% of his nearly 2000 opponents in the minor leagues overall.

Nationals relievers currently rank 28th in Major League Baseball with a collective 5.03 ERA, though their top relievers have been far more successful. That’s a group that includes trade candidates such as Kyle Finnegan, Carl Edwards Jr. and Hunter Harvey. Given the already shaky bullpen performance and the possibility of trading some of their steadiest arms as the team’s rebuild progresses, it’s only natural to see president of baseball ops Mike Rizzo stashing some additional depth in the upper minors.

Garcia entered the 2023 season with just under a year of Major League service time and crossed that threshold during his stint with the A’s. If he’s able to crack the Nationals’ roster and pitch well enough to hold down a roster spot, he’d be controllable for another five years.

Who Could The Nationals Trade At The Deadline?

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This year’s trade deadline seems like it has the potential to be unique, with very few clear sellers. The expanded playoffs and weak Central divisions mean that there are only five teams that are more than eight games out of a playoff spot at the All-Star break.

One of those five clubs is in Washington, as the Nationals have been rebuilding in recent years. Stars like Max Scherzer, Trea Turner and Juan Soto have been flipped in deadline deals over the past two seasons, which unsurprisingly has led to them being one of the few noncompetitive clubs here in 2023. Their 36-54 record has them in last in the National League East and they’re 13 games back in the Wild Card race.

The Nats therefore stand out as one of the few clear sellers at this point, with just over three weeks until the August 1 deadline. They no longer have superstars like those mentioned above, but there are still some players that should attract attention.

Rental Players

Jeimer Candelario

Candelario, 29, is one of the most straightforward trade candidates in the league. He’s an impending free agent having a great season on a team that’s clearly in a position to sell. MLBTR recently listed the top 50 trade candidates for this summer and Candelario took the #2 spot, trailing only Lucas Giolito of the White Sox.

The third baseman was seemingly breaking out in Detroit not too long ago, putting up solid numbers both in 2020 and 2021. He produced a .278/.356/.458 batting line over those campaigns for a 125 wRC+ and was considered around league average defensively, leading to a tally of 5.8 wins above replacement from FanGraphs in 201 games. Unfortunately, just about everything went wrong in 2022 as he hit just .217/.272/.361 for an 80 wRC+ with subpar defensive grades.

The Tigers non-tendered him instead of paying him a projected $7MM salary for his final arbitration season, and the Nats swooped in with an offer of $5MM plus $1MM of incentives. It looks like that investment will pay off handsomely for the Nats, as Candelario is having a bounceback season. He’s hitting .261/.337/.478 (118 wRC+) and his defensive grades are much stronger. With so few sellers and a pitching-heavy free agent class this coming winter, Candelario should be one of the most sought-after position players in the weeks to come.

Carl Edwards Jr.

Edwards, 31, missed much of the 2019-2021 period due to injuries and had to settle for a minor league deal with the Nationals prior to the 2022 season. He made it to the big league club in May of last year and posted a 2.76 ERA in 62 innings the rest of the way. He likely benefited from a .259 batting average on balls in play and 83.6% strand rate, but his peripherals were around league average.

The Nationals tendered him a contract for 2023, agreeing to a $2.25MM arbitration salary. He’s been solid this year, with a 3.69 ERA in 32 appearances. His 16.9% strikeout rate and 12% walk rate aren’t exciting, but he has a 46% ground ball rate and has allowed just one home run all year. He isn’t likely to fetch a ton as a rental reliever with worrying peripherals, but he’s fairly cheap and bullpen help is always in demand. He’s been on the injured list almost three weeks due to shoulder inflammation, however, so his health will be a clear factor in his market.

Corey Dickerson

Dickerson is a 34-year-old veteran who signed a one-year, $2.25MM deal with incentives in the offseason. The Nats were surely hoping he could serve as a veteran mentor to their younger players and perhaps play his way into being a deadline trade chip. Unfortunately, he’s hitting just .248/.278/.358 on the year for a wRC+ of 69. As a veteran left-handed hitter, he might get interest based on his track record, but the return would likely be mild even if he gets hot in the next few weeks.

Signed/Controlled For One Extra Year

Dominic Smith

Smith, 28, was a similar bounceback play to the Candelario signing. In 2019 and 2020 with the Mets, he hit .299/.366/.571 for a wRC+ of 150 but followed that up by hitting .233/.298/.345 over the next two years for an 82 wRC+. The Mets non-tendered him, and the Nats signed him to a one-year deal with a $2MM salary and $2MM in incentives.

Unfortunately, this deal hasn’t worked out nearly as well as the Candelario one. Smith is hitting .260/.328/.340 (85 wRC+) while playing first base only. Given the offensive expectations of that position, that’s clearly insufficient production. He can be controlled for 2024 via arbitration but is trending towards another non-tender unless he can turn things around.

Victor Robles

Robles, 26, was once considered one of the top prospects in the league but has yet to put it all together at the big league level. He’s always had the speed and defense combo working but has continued to struggle at the plate, coming into 2023 with a career batting line of .233/.306/.359 and a 78 wRC+.

He has shown some positive developments here this year, including a 14.3% strikeout rate that’s well below his 23.9% rate in previous years. His .299/.385/.364 batting line is a bit above average, translating to a wRC+ of 111. Unfortunately, that’s come in just 36 games as he’s twice gone on the IL due to back spasms, including his current stint. He’s making $2.325MM this year with a $3.3MM club option for 2024. Even if that were turned down, he could still be retained via arbitration.

Trevor Williams

Williams, 31, was primarily a starter with the Pirates for many years but had been deployed in a swing role by the Mets in recent seasons. He signed a two-year, $13MM deal to return to a starting role with the Nationals. He has a 4.45 ERA through 18 starts, striking out 17% of opponents while walking 7.5%. That low strikeout rate has led to a 5.41 FIP and 4.95 SIERA. He’s not going to command huge interest, but a club in need of a back-end innings eater could give Washington a call.

Patrick Corbin

Corbin, 34 next week, is having a bounce back year, at least in terms of results so far. His 4.89 earned run average is an improvement over his 6.31 figure from last year and the 5.82 from the year prior. That’s come despite a 15.2% strikeout rate, which is a few ticks below the past few seasons and would be a career low. On his back-loaded contract, he’s making $24MM this year and a massive $35MM next year. Even if the Nats paid all of that down, they likely wouldn’t be able to get much back in trade.

Longer-Term Players

Lane Thomas

Thomas, 27, is perhaps the Nats’ best chance to get a significant return this summer. He’s hitting .302/.347/.497 for a wRC+ of 126. His defense is generally considered a bit below average, but he’s stolen eight bases in 10 tries this year. It could be debated as to whether Thomas or Candelario is having the better season overall, but Thomas comes with two extra seasons of arbitration control beyond this one. He’s making $2.2MM this year and would be in line for a couple of raises in the upcoming campaigns.

He’s not a lock to be moved because the Nats could hold onto him and hope to return to contention while he’s still on the club. However, his trade value will only diminish as he gets closer to free agency and more expensive. It’s certainly possible that the Nationals return to contention in the coming years, but it will be a challenge with the division featuring a stacked Atlanta club, the ascendent Marlins and aggressive-spending Mets and Phillies.

Hunter Harvey

Harvey, 28, has been a solid reliever for the club over the past two years. Since the start of 2022, he’s made 76 appearances with a 2.86 earned run average, 28.4% strikeout rate, 7.7% walk rate and 41.2% ground ball rate. He’s continued to move into higher-leverage spots, earning 11 holds and eight saves this year. He could be retained for two more seasons via arbitration, but reliever performance is volatile and there’s always the risk of an injury. He’s making just $870K this year.

Kyle Finnegan

Finnegan, 31, is in essentially the same spot as Harvey, as he can be controlled via arbitration for two more seasons beyond this one. He has a longer track record, having established himself as a viable reliever back in 2020, but his results are less encouraging this year. His 3.38 ERA is still solid, but his strikeout rate has dropped from last year’s 26.1% to this year’s 22.4%, with his walk and ground-ball rates also moving in the wrong direction a bit. He’s making $2.325MM this year.

Tanner Rainey

Rainey, 30, is like Finnegan and Harvey in that he has two arbitration seasons after this one. But his situation is very different, as he had Tommy John surgery last August and is only now nearing a rehab assignment. Players on the injured list can still be traded, though the interest may be muted based on the uncertainty. He posted a 3.30 ERA last year with a 28.1% strikeout rate prior to going under the knife. He’s making $1.5MM this year.

Ildemaro Vargas

Vargas, 32 this weekend, has plenty of experience as a light-hitting utility player. He had a .233/.268/.355 career batting line by the end of 2021 for a wRC+ of 60 but had played every position except center field and catcher. He’s had better results at the plate since joining the Nats in August of last year, hitting .281/.310/.409 for a wRC+ of 98 in 289 plate appearances. He’s making $975K this year and can be retained via arbitration for two more seasons.

Joey Meneses

Unlike the other names on this list, Meneses isn’t approaching free agency or making a significant salary. The long-time minor leaguer finally got the call to the big leagues last year at the age of 30 and mashed 13 home runs in 56 games, finishing the season with a .324/.367/.563 batting line and 156 wRC+. He was only able to accrue 65 days of service time, leaving the Nats with six years of remaining control.

His production has naturally taken a step back in 2023, as he’s hit just six home runs and is batting .284/.328/.404 for a wRC+ of 98. He’s been on a mini heater of late, as four of those six homers came in the club’s last three games before the break. The Nats could simply hang onto Meneses given that he’s not slated for arbitration until after 2025 or free agency until after 2028. However, his late-bloomer trajectory means that he’s already 31 years old and will likely be in his mid-30s by the time the club is in contention again. Perhaps the best course of action would be to cash him in for younger players now — if there’s sufficient interest in the next few weeks.

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The Nationals were the star sellers of each of the past two deadlines, flipping Scherzer and Turner two years ago and then Soto last year. They don’t have any players that could reach that level, either in terms of publicity or prospect return. However, Candelario is one of the best rentals available and should net them some decent value. If they get more aggressive and move controllable players like Thomas, Harvey and Finnegan, they could go even farther in stockpiling young talent for future seasons.

Nationals Outright Derek Hill To Triple-A

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TODAY: The Nationals announced that Hill cleared waivers, and decided to accept an outright assignment to Triple-A Rochester.

JULY 5: The Nationals announced Wednesday that they’ve designated outfielder Derek Hill for assignment. His spot on the roster will go to fellow outfielder Alex Call, who’s been recalled from Triple-A Rochester.

Hill, 27, appeared in 13 games with the Nats and tallied 50 plate appearances. He slashed just .170/.220/.191 in that time, however, striking out in 22% of his plate appearances against a 6% walk rate. That marked the fourth straight season with at least some big league work for the former Tigers first-rounder (No. 23, 2014). He carries a tepid .229/.279/.314 batting line in 304 MLB plate appearances.

So far in 2023, Hill’s work in Triple-A has been outstanding. He’s batted .324/.381/.533 in 204 plate appearances, boosting his career rates at the top minor league level to .283/.344/.470 in an even 600 trips to the plate.

Hill is a plus runner with good defensive tools but mixed defensive ratings in limited MLB action in the outfield. He’s a natural center fielder and has experience at all three slots in the outfield.

Hill is out of minor league options, meaning any team that wants to place a waiver claim or acquire him in a small trade would need to commit to carrying him on its own 40-man roster (or else immediately attempt to pass him through waivers themselves). The Nats will have a week to pass him through waivers, trade him or release him.

Nationals, Luis Cessa Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Nationals have signed Luis Cessa to a minor league contract and sent him to Triple-A Rochester, tweets Talk Nats. The right-hander had been released from a non-roster deal with the Rockies last week.

Cessa joins his third organization of the season. He opened the season in the Reds’ rotation, his third year in Cincinnati. The 31-year-old had a terrible first few outings, allowing an even 9.00 ERA across 26 innings. He walked 12 and struck out just 11 of 132 batters faced. Cincinnati pulled the plug in early May, turning the rotation spot over to journeyman Ben Lively.

After signing with Colorado, the Mexico-born hurler made six starts for their Triple-A team in Albuquerque. He was tagged for an 8.44 ERA in that extremely hitter-friendly environment. The Rox have been hit with a number of rotation injuries, but Cessa didn’t show enough in his six weeks in the Colorado organization to get a big league look.

While it’s hard to find many positives in Cessa’s 2023 work, he’s been a productive MLB pitcher in prior years. He was a good long reliever for a few seasons, highlighted by a 2.51 ERA showing in 64 2/3 frames between the Yankees and Reds in 2021. He owns a 3.81 ERA in 264 2/3 career innings out of the bullpen. His more recent work since moving to the rotation late last summer hasn’t been good, but he’s at least expanded his versatility as a multi-inning arm for a pitching staff.

Washington can keep him as rotation depth in Triple-A or push him back into the relief role where he’s had more success. If Cessa cracks the MLB roster at any point, Washington would only pay him at the prorated $720K league minimum rate. The Reds remain on the hook for the balance of his $2.65MM salary. Cessa will return to free agency at season’s end.

Nationals, Jacob Nottingham Agree To Minor League Contract

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The Nationals are in agreement with catcher Jacob Nottingham on a minor league deal, tweets the Talk Nats blog. It’s the second minor league deal in as many days for Washington. They also signed right-hander Daniel Mengden last night.

Nottingham just hit the open market last week. He was released from a non-roster pact with the Giants. The right-handed hitter had posted a .232/.329/.432 line over 34 contests for San Francisco’s Triple-A club. That’s right in line with the .229/.333/.425 slash he’d put up through 89 minor league games last season, which he spent in the Orioles’ organization.

A former sixth-round draftee, Nottingham was once a fairly well-regarded prospect and has appeared in parts of four big league seasons. He got to the highest level each year from 2018-21, splitting his time between the Brewers and Mariners. Working primarily in a depth capacity, he appeared in 53 games and hit .184/.277/.421. He connected on eight home runs in only 130 trips to the plate but struck out over 34% of the time.

Prospect evaluators generally credited Nottingham with above-average to plus raw power but raised concerns about his strikeout tallies and receiving skills. He’ll head to Triple-A Rochester as a non-roster depth option with some power potential.

The Nats have used Keibert Ruiz and Riley Adams as the catching duo this year. Nottingham won’t jump either player on the depth chart, but the only other catcher on the 40-man roster (Israel Pineda) in on the injured list. Luis Torrens had been in Rochester but opted out of his contract with the Nats over the weekend; Nottingham will step into that role.

Nationals To Sign Daniel Mengden To Minors Contract

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The Nationals are signing right-hander Daniel Mengden to a minor league deal, according to FanSided’s Robert Murray (via Twitter).  Mengden had been pitching in the Royals’ farm system on another minors contract signed at the start of the season, but Kansas City released him from that deal earlier this week.

Mengden now moves onto the fifth different organization (four in MLB, one in the KBO League) of a pro career that began as a fourth-round draft pick for the Astros in 2014.  The righty is best known for his five years with the Athletics from 2016-20, as Mengden posted a 4.64 ERA over 302 2/3 innings during his Oakland tenure, mostly working as a starting pitcher.  An injury-plagued 2020 campaign led the A’s to outright Mengden following the 2020 season, and he then went overseas to South Korea to pitch for the Kia Tigers.

Returning to MLB in 2022, Mengden signed a minors deal with the Royals and appeared in five games (seven IP) at the big league level.  That represents his last stint in the Show, as he hasn’t pitched well or even often with Triple-A Omaha this season.  Starting three of his six games for Omaha, Mengden has a 7.36 ERA over 14 2/3 innings, with a lackluster 20% strikeout rate and 11.4% strikeout rate.

Washington might view the 30-year-old Mengden purely as rotation depth or as a bullpen candidate who can be called upon to soak up innings as a long reliever.  At the cost of a minors league deal, there’s no risk for the Nationals in seeing what Mengden can provide, whether at the Triple-A level or for spot duty in the majors.

Luis Torrens Opts Out Of Minors Deal With Nationals

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Catcher Luis Torrens is back on the open market, as Talk Nats indicates the 27 year old has exercised a clause in the minor league deal he signed with the Nationals back in May that allows him to return to free agency if not added to the roster by July 1.

The decision leaves Torrens poised to search for what would be his fourth organization of the 2023 campaign. After signing a minors deal with the Cubs back in January, Torrens made the Opening Day roster in Chicago but appeared in just 13 games before being designated for assignment and swapped to the Orioles at the beginning of May. The Orioles then designated Torrens for assignment the following week, leading the catcher to elect free agency rather than accept an outright assignment to Triple-A.

From there, Torrens signed on with Washington on a minor league deal, and posted a decent .258/.311/.470 slash line in 74 plate appearances with the club’s Triple-A affiliate. Still, with Keibert Ruiz and Riley Adams entrenched as the club’s catching tandem at the big league level and Drew Millas acting as serviceable depth in the upper minors, there wasn’t a clear path to the big leagues for Torrens with the Nationals, prompting him to return to the open market.

Considering Torrens’s relative youth and unique developmental track as a former Rule 5 draft pick, he figures to receive interest from clubs on a minor league deal, particularly considering the importance of having ample catching depth available. That importance has been showcased at various points through this season by the woes of teams such as the Padres, Mets, Giants, and Angels behind the plate. Torrens isn’t the only intriguing depth option who could be available behind the plate, however, as Jorge Alfaro, who the Rockies designated for assignment yesterday evening, could also return to free agency in the coming days should he clear waivers and reject an outright assignment.

 

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