With Jeimer Candelario sent to Cubs, focus shifts to Lane Thomas

When the Washington Nationals unveiled their lineup for Monday’s game against the Milwaukee Brewers, third baseman Jeimer Candelario wasn’t in it. Just a few hours later, it became clear why: The 29-year-old was traded.

The Nationals sent Candelario to the Chicago Cubs in exchange for pitcher D.J. Herz and shortstop Kevin Made, two prospects acquired by the Nationals one day before Tuesday’s MLB trade deadline. The deal was the start of what general manager Mike Rizzo has said will be a “very aggressive” deadline for the rebuilding Nationals, who don’t have stars to trade like Juan Soto and Max Scherzer but still have assets that have drawn interest. 

Candelario, who signed with Washington in the offseason on an affordable one-year, $5 million contract, was among the more notable rentals available on the market. Candelario proved to be a bargain signing for Washington as he hit 16 home runs and led with a team-high .823 OPS (on-base plus slugging). Now, he reunites with the Cubs — a team he spent two seasons at the beginning of his Major League career. The Cubs, 3 ½ back of the Wild Card, are looking to make a push to the postseason after recently winning eight games in a row to push past .500.

Chicago parted ways with Herz and Made — a Double-A left-handed pitcher and Class High A shortstop respectively. Hertz, 22, holds a 3.97 ERA in 14 starts this season, while Made is hitting .241 with three home runs in 70 contests. 

Candelario had received interest from as many as eight teams, Rizzo said in a recent interview with MLB Network Radio. The Yankees and Los Angeles Angels were reportedly among the teams also interested in the third baseman.

Now that Candelario is gone, the Nationals’ other top trade chips include right fielder Lane Thomas and closer Kyle Finnegan — but there’s no guarantee that both, or either, get traded. 

Thomas was in the Nationals’ lineup for Monday’s game against the Milwaukee Brewers, while manager Dave Martinez said Finnegan would be available for a save situation. Like Candelario, Thomas and Finnegan have been frequently mentioned in trade rumors given the Nationals are still in the midst of a rebuild. 

But Rizzo might not be in a rush to move either player. According to multiple reports, Rizzo and opposing clubs haven’t seen eye-to-eye on Thomas’ value.

The Nationals, Rizzo has said, have priced Thomas as an everyday at-bat who can contribute to a major league club — something the outfielder has done routinely for Washington this season. Other clubs have reportedly been more skeptical, viewing Thomas as an off-the-bench, situational hitter. Thomas, acquired in a 2021 trade for St. Louis for aging pitcher Jon Lester, has hit a team-high .285 this season with 16 home runs and a .805 OPS.

The difference in perception could make it difficult to finalize a trade. 

“We see (Thomas) as an everyday player,” Rizzo told MLB Network Radio. “Now, if you as the opposing team trying to acquire him see him as an everyday player, then I think that we can make a deal. But if you see him as a kind of a good bench guy or a platoon player, then our value system isn’t going to allow us to do a deal.”

Perhaps giving Rizzo and the Nationals leverage is the fact that Thomas is under team control for two more seasons and makes just $2.2 million this season. That means the Nationals aren’t in a position in which executives feel pressure to trade him, in part, because they could always revisit the topic this offseason or at next year’s deadline. 

Candelario, by contrast, was moved because of his expiring contract.

Finnegan, like Thomas, is under team control for another two years. He also serves as Washington’s closer, and has produced in the role with 14 saves and a 3.02 ERA. 

“We’re getting hit a lot on Finnegan,” Rizzo said. “We like him as a reliever, he’s our closer right now, we think he fits on a championship club, and somewhere in the back of somebody’s bullpen.”

Rizzo’s comments reflect the car salesman-like nature his job entails this time of year. As general manager, Rizzo is tasked with drumming up interest in his players — and then capitalizing on the return.

He did that with Candelario. And now he has more time to work until Tuesday’s 6 p.m. deadline.