Why the Nationals essentially stood pat: "Track record"

Why the Nationals essentially stood pat: "Track record"
They didn't buy, at least not in July. They didn't sell, at least not in the kind of significant way that had been suggested was possible. In the end, the Nationals essentially stood pat at the trade deadline, keeping Bryce Harper and everyone else on the current roster except for Brandon Kintzler, who was dealt to the Cubs for a Single-A reliever. So what message, then, did the front office just send a clubhouse full of players and a region full of fans who have spent the last four months...

Looking at today's trades with Atlanta and Milwaukee

Looking at today's trades with Atlanta and Milwaukee
It has been a dizzying day for the Orioles and their fans. As it turned out, the team did trade players who were under team control beyond 2018. They sent pitchers Kevin Gausman and Darren O'Day to Atlanta and traded second baseman Jonathan Schoop to Milwaukee. In the deal with the Braves, the Orioles got four players and $2.5 million in international bonus money. They got three players from Milwaukee. On the big league roster in New York this afternoon they have added right-handed relief...

Orioles deal Gausman, O'Day, Schoop in pair of trades (with new lineup)

Orioles deal Gausman, O'Day, Schoop in pair of trades (with new lineup)
NEW YORK - The Orioles dove deeper into their rebuild this afternoon, making a pair of significant trades ahead of the 4 p.m. non-waiver trading deadline. First, the Orioles sent right-handers Kevin Gausman and Darren O'Day to the Braves in exchange for four players - right-hander Evan Phillips, infielder Jean Carlos Encarnación, catcher Brett Cumberland and left-hander Bruce Zimmermann - along with $2.5 million in international signing bonus slot money. Just before the deadline, they...

Nationals send Kintzler to Cubs in lone deadline deal

Nationals send Kintzler to Cubs in lone deadline deal
If the Nationals were going to sell before today's trade deadline, they certainly had no shortage of veteran relievers on short-term contracts to offer up to other clubs. In the end, the guy they chose to move was a bit of a surprising one: Brandon Kintzler, who was dealt to the Cubs for Single-A right-handed reliever Jhon Romero. That was the club's only move before the 4 p.m. deadline. Kintzler, who turns 34 on Wednesday, had become a key late-inning reliever for the Nationals since his...

Decision day for Nats, with Harper at the center of it all

Decision day for Nats, with Harper at the center of it all
Four months of ups and downs, encouraging moments and discouraging moments, reasons for hope and reasons for despair come to a head today. It's July 31, and the time has come for the Nationals front office to make some big decisions. And the biggest decision may well involve the biggest name in their organization: Bryce Harper. What would have sounded like a hoax in early April - or, shoot, even in early July - is at least within the realm of possibility today. The Nationals could deal Harper...

Six potential trade deadline scenarios for the Nationals

Six potential trade deadline scenarios for the Nationals
The Nationals, in the strictest of baseball senses, are off today. On the heels of a roller coaster 3-4 road trip through Milwaukee and Miami, the players and coaching staff will catch their breath today, spend time with their families and prepare to return to action Tuesday night against the Mets on South Capitol Street. The Nationals, as an organization, are by no means off today. This may prove to be among the busiest days they have all summer, with everyone in the front office now charged...

Ryan Sullivan: Nationals should be sellers at trade deadline

Ryan Sullivan: Nationals should be sellers at trade deadline
The 2018 season has been a constant struggle for the Nationals due to injuries to key performers and subpar performance from others. Presently, the Nationals have a record of 51-51 and are seven games behind Philadelphia in the National League East and 4 1/2 games back for a wild card berth. With the news of Stephen Strasburg returning to the disabled list, Washington's playoff chances are dwindling by the day. The stark reality is general manager Mike Rizzo and the Nationals should probably...

Trade chatter will intensify until Orioles pull trigger on Machado deal

Trade chatter will intensify until Orioles pull trigger on Machado deal
Think the Manny Machado trade talk is hot now? It's only going to get worse until the Orioles make the trade or the July 31 non-waiver deadline arrives. Speculation runs wild. The latest, from The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal, says the Yankees are interested. Apparently, the Yankees are going to cut into their rebuilding and offer a package that includes third baseman Miguel Andujar. Where will Machado, the shortstop that can also play third base, end up? Every insider has a different idea about...

Kintzler arrives, ready to pitch in any role for Nationals

Kintzler arrives, ready to pitch in any role for Nationals
MIAMI - Brandon Kintzler had been through trade deadline day before, last July 31, and he was admittedly a nervous wreck waiting to find out if the Twins had dealt him. So when this July 31 came around and he knew the team had a day off in San Diego, he decided to get away and go on a safari zoo tour with his wife. So there was Kintzler, feeding apples to a rhinoceros at 1:01 p.m. Pacific time, when his phone rang. He looked down and recognized it was a Minnesota area code. "So I figured this...

Recapping what happened during a busy period leading to non-waiver trade deadline

Recapping what happened during a busy period leading to non-waiver trade deadline
Last season, the Cubs won their first World Series in 108 seasons. Now they're trying to become the first National League team to win consecutive World Series since the Reds in 1975 and 1976. The Cubs have restocked their roster, trading prospects for big league players. Earlier this month, they acquired pitcher Jose Quintana for the rotation and then got from the Tigers lefty reliever Justin Wilson and catcher Alex Avila on Sunday. After the break, the Cubs identified their weaknesses -...

Nationals "really like the look of our bullpen" after latest trade

Nationals "really like the look of our bullpen" after latest trade
MIAMI - As the clock wound down to today's 4 p.m. trade deadline, the Nationals were still in discussions with several teams over several late-inning relievers. "A lot of balls in the air," general manager Mike Rizzo said. "You've got a lot of options." When it came time to say yes to one of the deals on the table, the Twins' proposal to send Brandon Kintzler to Washington in exchange for Single-A left-hander Tyler Watson sat best with Rizzo. And so it was that in the final minutes...

Nats still discussing relievers on trade deadline day

Nats still discussing relievers on trade deadline day
MIAMI - It's officially July 31, and that means we're now talking about the non-wiaver trade deadline in terms of hours instead of days. The final countdown to 4 p.m. Eastern time has begun. The Nationals, like all 30 clubs, will be engaged in conversations all day, seeing if there's a last-minute deal to be made. But let's be honest: They've probably already made their biggest trade of the summer. The Ryan Madson-Sean Doolittle deal, which was finalized 15 days ago, may not have...

Andrew Stetka: Despite Hellickson move, Orioles aren't buyers

Andrew Stetka: Despite Hellickson move, Orioles aren't buyers
Don't be fooled by what you see or hear. Don't be duped by trades that are made or those that aren't. The Orioles aren't buyers this season. They aren't really in it and they likely aren't making a push for the postseason. Friday night's deal for Jeremy Hellickson told me all I needed to know about the direction the Orioles are headed. Actually, the O's appear to be more in neutral than anything else. Over the last few weeks, we've heard plenty of speculation about the plans for the...

Nats get veteran Kendrick from Phillies for minor league pitcher

Nats get veteran Kendrick from Phillies for minor league pitcher
The Nationals added another veteran to their bench tonight, acquiring utilityman Howie Kendrick from the Phillies for minor league left-hander McKenzie Mills in a deal that will help alleviate recent injury concerns while providing manager Dusty Baker with more options later this season after his roster is closer to 100 percent healthy. Kendrick is hitting .340 with two homers, 16 RBIs, a .397 on-base percentage and .851 OPS this season, but the 34-year-old has played in only 39 games due to...

Dillon Atkinson: Deadline approach could define Dan Duquette's legacy

Dillon Atkinson: Deadline approach could define Dan Duquette's legacy
Orioles executive vice president of baseball operations Dan Duquette has a mixed reputation among the fan base. Some applaud him for his acquisitions of productive players like Wei-Yin Chen, Jason Hammel, Nelson Cruz and Mark Trumbo, among others. Another large sum show their disapproval of Duquette for letting players like Cruz and Andrew Miller walk, for trading away young pitching and for acquiring players who performed below expectations, like Ubaldo Jiménez, Travis Snider and Yovani...

David Huzzard: Trade for relief help puts Nats in strong position

David Huzzard: Trade for relief help puts Nats in strong position
The recent acquisition of Sean Doolittle and Ryan Madson helps the Nationals bullpen. It added two much-needed proven, veteran arms to a 'pen that was lacking everything. Madson brings his 2.01 ERA and 2.39 FIP, and Doolittle his 3.63 ERA and 2.51 FIP. While these two are instantly the best relievers in the Nationals bullpen, all reports indicate the Nationals are far from finished in looking to add talent to a bullpen that has severely lacked it for most of the season. If the Nationals are...

District 34 podcast: Nats make blockbuster trade to bolster bullpen

District 34 podcast: Nats make blockbuster trade to bolster bullpen
It was always a matter of when not if the Nationals would make a trade to bolster their bullpen, and it finally happened over the weekend. Byron Kerr and I are back to break down the acquisition of right-hander Ryan Madson and left-hander Sean Doolittle from the A's and the ripple effect on the Nats bullpen on a new episode of the District 34 podcast. Madson and Doolittle both made their Nationals debuts in a 4-3 win over the Angels Tuesday night, with the righty putting together a shutdown...

Luke Erickson: Is anyone really untouchable in a trade?

Luke Erickson: Is anyone really untouchable in a trade?
When this guest blog was first written, it was about how the injury to Joe Ross would force a trade and that the Nationals may have to consider trading one or more of their so-called untouchable players, outfielder Victor Robles and Erick Fedde. Instead, Washington and Oakland executed their 432nd 11th trade this decade with right-hander Blake Treinen, infielder Sheldon Neuse and left-hander Jesus Luzardo going to the Bay Area and left-hander Sean Doolittle and right-hander Ryan Madson coming...

Recapping big trades and previewing more to come

Recapping big trades and previewing more to come
The Nationals fixed their bullpen by trading for Oakland relievers Sean Doolittle and Ryan Madson. The Chicago Cubs added starter José Quintana, who struck out 12 batters in an 8-0 win against the Orioles in his Cubs debut Sunday at Camden Yards. As the 4 p.m. ET non-waiver trade deadline approaches on July 31, what's next for teams? The Dodgers, battling Washington for the best record in the National League, are looking for a starter and reliever, even though they start the week with a...

Rizzo and Baker on trade for Doolittle and Madson

Rizzo and Baker on trade for Doolittle and Madson
CINCINNATI - Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo had been chatting with his A's counterpart, Billy Beane, over the past couple of weeks. Their conversations began centered around a single relief pitcher to help stabilize the Nats' bumbling bullpen. But when both righty Ryan Madson and lefty Sean Doolittle became available, Rizzo couldn't pass up the opportunity to add a pair of pitchers who have worked high-leverage innings, closed games, and are capable of getting both right- and...