Nats building foundation with new additions, old friends

WASHINGTON -- The moves the Nationals did not make at the Trade Deadline are just as notable as the deal that was completed.

When the clock struck 6 p.m. ET on Tuesday, the lone transaction the Nats had completed was trading third baseman Jeimer Candelario (who is on an expiring $5 million contract) to the Cubs on Monday in exchange for shortstop Kevin Made and left-hander DJ Herz, now ranked by MLB Pipeline as Washington's Nos. 16 and 17 prospects, respectively.

That means right fielder Lane Thomas and late-inning righty reliever Kyle Finnegan remain key members of the Nationals. Both players, who have two years of team control left after this season, received interest in the trade market.

“I think that we did the trade that was most important to us,” general manager Mike Rizzo said Tuesday evening prior to the Nats’ 6-4 loss to the Brewers at Nationals Park. “Candy was a terrific player for us. On the field, he was great. In the clubhouse, he was even better and handled those young players so well. [He] had a terrific year, and we spun him off for two good prospects that we really like. … We like that trade a lot, and we liked the fact that we still have a back-end-of-the-bullpen pitcher and a starting right fielder that put an All-Star-caliber season into play so far this year.”

As the Nationals continue to build toward the future, players like Thomas and Finnegan fulfill valuable roles that can help the team in its next steps.

“We put a pretty aggressive price on Lane. It was something we had several conversations with teams early on in the day, and none of them came to fruition,” Rizzo said. “There was a lot of action on Finnegan, and again, none of them met the bar that we put on him.”

Thomas, 27, was acquired from the Cardinals at the 2021 Trade Deadline in exchange for Jon Lester, who had an expiring deal. Thomas embraced the opportunity for consistent playing time and earned the starting right field job. He’s ranked in the top 10 in the NL in hits (fourth), doubles (tied, fourth), batting average (eighth) and runs scored (ninth).

The 31-year-old Finnegan, who made his Major League debut in 2020 with the Nationals, has become a key member of a shorthanded bullpen. In his past 18 relief appearances, Finnegan has recorded a 0.89 ERA, four saves, five holds and a .152 opponents' batting average.

“Those are two guys that we feel very good about. We’re very high on both of them,” said Rizzo. “They’re good players, but more importantly, they’re great guys in the clubhouse. … When you’re building a young foundation like we are here, you’ve got to sprinkle in some good veteran players.”

The Nationals’ development of talent was seen Tuesday in the callup of No. 27 prospect Jake Alu from Triple-A to get starting time at third base following the Candelario trade. Alu made his big league debut on May 9 and is in his fourth stint with Washington this season.

“When we started this, we had a plan,” said manager Dave Martinez. “Obviously, part of the plan is getting some guys here that we thought that, if possible, we could get some younger players for. That’s part of it. But our plan is to get younger, give our young guys opportunities to come up here and play, and -- as we move forward -- watch these guys develop. So far, so good.”

As the Nats looked ahead to the future at this Trade Deadline, Rizzo and Martinez are in the final year of their contracts. Neither let that status affect their approach leading up to Tuesday.

“It does not impact it one bit,” said Rizzo. “We do our job every day. It’s not the first time I’ve been on an expiring contract, it won’t be the last. We conduct our business like we do every day, grind it out and try to make the best deals we can for the short-term, mid-term and long-term of the franchise. I felt that this year, mission was accomplished.”