Rizzo: Nationals’ busy trade deadline will be ‘very beneficial long-term’

Washington Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo finally caught up on sleep Wednesday after completing four trades in a busy month leading before the MLB trade deadline. But he said his front office’s hard work paid off and his franchise is primed to contend for a championship in the near future.

“If I look like I’ve been up for three days straight, it’s because I have been,” Rizzo told reporters after Tuesday’s deadline.

Rizzo’s front office made four trades in July, shipping out a handful of veterans in exchange for six younger prospects. None of the newcomers are expected to make an immediate impact, but that wasn’t Washington’s goal — the Nationals entered Wednesday’s games 8 1/2 back of the final wild-card spot. They’re building for the future. 

“We fulfilled a lot of our objectives,” Rizzo said. “We got a deeper minor league system. We got a couple impact players, and I think that it’s going to prove to be very beneficial long-term.”

The midseason haul included pitchers Tyler Stuart and Alex Clemmey, third baseman Cayden Wallace, shortstop Rafael Ramirez Jr., infielder Jose Tena and corner infielder Andres Chaparro. 

“We’re trying to get the most impact that we can in the long term,” Rizzo said. “So high upside, low risk is what you’re trying to do.”

Clemmey and Wallace are the most promising players of the bunch — they now rank as the No. 6 and No. 7 prospects in Washington’s farm system. 

Even the lower-ranked prospects like Chaparro could have a future in the organization. The 25-year-old from Venezuela is batting .332 with 19 home runs for Triple-A Reno this season. 

“If you’ve seen him swing the bat, you see this guy’s got big-time power,” Rizzo said of Chaparro. “He’s been a really good minor league player that we think, with a few tweaks, can translate to the big league level.”

The cost for a half dozen up-and-comers? Relievers Hunter Havey and Dylan Floro, outfielder Lane Thomas and designated hitter Jesse Winker.

None of those departed players started their careers with the Nationals. They were widely considered reclamation projects when Rizzo brought them to the nation’s capital.

Winker, a former All-Star, batted just .199 in 2023 and joined the Nationals on a minor league deal. He revived his career in Washington, averaging .257 with 11 home runs before Rizzo traded him to the Mets.

Harvey, a first-round pick of the Orioles in 2013, struggled with injuries to start his career and never became a fixture at the major league level for Baltimore. Rizzo grabbed him off the waiver wire in 2022. The North Carolina native became a stable presence in the Nationals’ bullpen, leading the majors in holds before the trade. 

“It’s a player development success story,” Rizzo said. “The player development people developed them into players that are coveted by other teams and we got some good, impactful prospects for our trouble.”

None of Rizzo’s recent trades shocked those who followed the team closely. They were each in the final year of their contracts, making them eligible for either free agency or arbitration in the offseason.

Their timelines also failed to align with the still-rebuilding Nationals. Winker and Floro are already in their 30s, while Harvey and Thomas will be 29 years old by the end of the season. 

Though Rizzo shipped out several veterans, one notable National will remain in the District despite widespread trade rumors. MLB insiders tied Washington closer Kyle Finnegan to several contending squads who were looking for an additional bullpen arm but a trade never materialized. 

Rizzo said he noticed that pitchers were a hot commodity at the deadline — the Padres sent four top prospects to the Marlins in exchange for relievers Tanner Scott and Bryan Hoeing. 

Rizzo never publicly specified an asking price for the 32-year-old Finnegan. Washington’s general manager said he wanted “market value” for the All-Star. Other executives told MLB.com that the Nationals were “asking for the moon.” 

“I don’t think we’re asking for anything extravagant, but we did want market value for a closer that has another year of control,” Rizzo said. “That has a lot to do with it. We weren’t handcuffed or forced to move the player because his contract’s expiring or financial ramifications. We think he’s going to help us this year and next year.”

Finnegan’s contract expires this offseason, but he remains under team control through 2025. 

With more prospects on their way to the big leagues (2023 No. 2 overall pick Dylan Crews is expected to make his major league debut by season’s end), Rizzo said Washington’s years-long rebuild is close to its end. This time next year, he hopes the Nationals will be buyers at the deadline instead of sellers. 

“It’s way more fun grabbing All-Star players than trading All-Star players,” he said. “In that regard, it will be more fun. This is challenging. It’s a tough time for players, but it’s a necessary time. Our front office did a remarkable job.”