The Nationals have received trade interest in veterans , and but havent considered dealing any veteran pieces just yet, Jon Morosi of MLB Network. Washington, even with a sub-.500 record (35-36), is tied with the Padres for the final Wild Card spot in the National League at the moment and has not yet made a determination on how to approach this years trade deadline, Morosi adds. Its sensible for teams to inquire with the Nats, who entered the season as a playoff long-shot after spending the past two years in a rebuilding pattern. The Nats have outplayed expectations thanks to myriad factors (e.g. breakouts from , and ; a stronger-than- Keita Bates-Diop Jersey expected debut for lefty ; a big step forward by ; a rebound by ). Those positive developments, plus widespread mediocrity in the National League, have thrust the Nationals into postseason conversations in mid-June. Williams recent flexor strain is a big damper on the teams solid showing this year, but its only natural that GM Mike Rizzo and his staff arent yet ready to concede that theyll be deadline sellers. The next six weeks will be pivotal for the Nats. Holding the status quo or even playing winning ball between now and July 30 could push the Nationals to function as buyers. They may not be keen on dealing prospects for short-term rentals in a season like this, but targeting some names with multiple years of club control remaining feels plausible. On the other side of the coin, if the Nats fall a few games back in the standings and/or incur further injury problems of note, then listening on short-term veterans would be far likelier. All three of the names listed by Morosi are controlled only through the 2025 season. Finnegan and Harvey would both draw widespread interest among contenders, given the perennial demand for bullpen help among playoff hopefuls. Harvey, in particular, has been dominant with a 28.3% strikeout rate and 5.5% walk rate en route to a 2.75 ERA. Finnegan leads the team with 20 saves and a terrific 1.78 ERA, though hes benefited hugely from a microscopic .157 BABIP and a sky-high 94.7% strand rate neither of which feels sustainable long-term. Thomas drew interest at last summers trade deadline, but hes likely someone the Nats value more than many of the teams seeking to acquire him. Washington reportedly priced him like an everyday player on last summers trade market which is also how they use him but Thomas carries enormous platoon splits and could be seen by other clubs as a player best deployed in a timeshare. Hes batting .327/.390/.588 against lefties this season (166 wRC+) but has an awful .196/.256/.330 output against righties (65 wRC+). His career splits arent quite that dramatic but are quite stark: .305/.364/.524 versus left-handers (141 wRC+) compared to .223/.290/.392 versus right-handers (86 wRC+). The next few weeks will be pivotal for Rizzo and his lieutenants as they chart a course for this years deadline planning. If the Nats fall several games out of the race, all three of the names listed by Morosi could feasibly hit the market, and they likely wouldnt be alone. Third baseman and reliever are also only controlled through 2025 as well. Veterans and are free agents at the end of the current season, as are the aforementioned Williams and Winker. Speaking of Winker, he had an injury scare over the weekend when he felt knee pain after taking a big turn at first base, slamming on the brakes and (unsucce sfully) diving back to the bag. He exited the game two innings later. that Winker underwent an MRI that thankfully came back clean. Hes listed as day-to-day for now. Winker, 30, isnt hitting for much power this season but is drawing walks at his typically lofty rate (13.4%) and has made significantly better contact than he did over the past two seasons in a pair of down years with the Mariners and Brewers. Hes batting .265/.378/.390 with six homers and ten doubles through 268 plate appearances. Like Thomas, hes better utilized in a platoon setting but has been an everyday player in Washington. Winker, to his credit, has a roughly league-average .239/.345/.338 slash in 84 plate appearances against fellow lefties, but hes a career .210/.325/.338 hitter (89 wRC+) in left-on-left situations, compared to .279/.383/.467 (130 wRC+) against righties. Eventual trades of Winker, Rosario and/or Thomas could open the door for any number of Nationals farmhands at the big league level. One near-MLB-ready option, , doesnt seem as though hell be an option anytime soon, however. The Nats placed Ha sell on the minor league injured list last week, and TalkNats.com that hes dealing with another wrist injury and that the team plans to proceed cautiously. Ha sell has had multiple wrist injuries in the past, including a broken hamate bone that nece sitated surgery. One of the most notable prospects acquired in the Nationals blockbuster trade of to the Padres, Ha sell opened the season with a .278/.369/.369 slash in 215 plate appearances at the Double-A level. Those numbers dont jump out, but theyre about 14% better than average in his currently pitcher-friendly environment, by measure of wRC+. Theyre also a sizable step forward from the .225/.316/.324 batting line recorded by Ha sell at the same minor league level last year (476 plate appearances). Both Ha sell and uber-prospect are on the minor league injured list at the moment the latter due to a hamstring strain. Wood, in particular, could be an option to make his big league debut later this summer, with Andrew Golden of The Washington Post relaying today that Wood could return to game action this week. But Ha sell could force his way into that conversation as well if hes cleared to return sooner than later and continues to show improvement over last season. His prospect stock has taken a notable hit since the time of that swap, but hes maintained strong plate discipline (11.6% walk rate) and cut his strikeout rate from last years alarming 31.9% to a far more palatable 21.4% in 2024. will also be in the mix, as hes being promoted to Triple-A, per @PROducerIOTB . Thats come on the heels of Crews hitting .274/.343/.446 in Double-A this year while stealing 15 bases. Dennis Rodman Jersey