Why are the Nationals always sellers at the deadline?
Yahoo Sports senior MLB analysts Jordan Shusterman and Jake Mintz discuss the Washington Nationals recent decisions around the MLB trade deadline. Is the organization setting themselves up for success down the road? Hear the full conversation on the "Baseball Bar-B-Cast" podcast - and subscribe on Apple Podcasts , Spotify or wherever you listen.
Video Transcript
This sentiment to me is so much more powerful than the Dodgers are ruining the sport.
And I think that it is unique to certain fan bases and certain teams.
The notion that the league has tried to push that small market teams cannot extend their superstars is such a farce and so un- like moored from reality.
Connor Griffin, J.J. Weatherholt, Julio Rodriguez, like Jackson Chirio, if you are aggressive and you spend the money on a player at the right time, you can extend superstars.
Samuel Basayo in Baltimore.
I know that there are examples of players that leave.
The number of players that are sticking around now is bigger than it has ever been.
Bobby Wood Jr.
In Kansas City.
As a result, free agent classes have gotten very weak.
We will start to see that as the best players in the sport are under these long-term contracts.
The Nats feel to me like a bit of a unique case because this franchise has had some of the best players in the world.
Juan Soto, Bryce Harper, Trey Turner, Max Scherzer, slightly different category.
Stephen Strasburg, slightly different category.
Anthony Rendon.
And none of those elite players starred in their 30s for the Nats.
I guess Scherzer was a free agent acquisition, different case.
But of all the homegrown stars, really it's Turner, Soto, Rendon, and Harper.
Like that is legitimate fan trauma that should cloud your perspective on James Wood and C.J.
Abrams.
And this is related to the Adley Rushman thing.
The same thing where it's like, okay, if we're going to lose a billion games and draft Adley Rushman, Adley Rushman better be here when we do something successful, interesting, relevant.
Whether he extends long-term, let's accomplish something with him.
Same thing.
If you're going to trade Juan Soto, you kind of nailed it.
But what are you going to do with James Wood and C.J.
Abrams right here?
You nailed it.
For what?
For what?
For what?
Exactly.
And Mackenzie Gore is already gone.
Okay, you're going to say, well, look what Gavin Feen is, right?
Like, okay, sure.
There's some truth to some of that.
And if they trade C.J.
Abrams, in front office speak, you can keep pushing it and be like, this is still about the Soto trade.
But at some point, we need to tangibly grasp onto something.
And that is these players in your team's uniforms winning baseball games.
