Washington Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo failed last year to turn veteran Nelson Cruz into a trade asset. That didn’t deter him from trying again. This year he took a chance on third baseman Jeimer Candelario. And 99 games into the season, Rizzo cashed in his best chip.
On Monday, the Nationals swung a trade, sending Candelario, one of the most sought trade pieces this year, to the Chicago Cubs. In return, Washington minor league shortstop Kevin Made and left-handed pitcher DJ Herz.
Signing Candelario goes exactly as planned
Jeimer Candelario, 29, was coming off a down 2022 season in which he hit .217 with the Detroit Tigers. He hit free agency after the Tigers non-tendered him. Washington signed him a one-year deal worth $5 million.
The Nationals are rebuilding after selling off three of its 2019 World Series title heroes, Max Scherzer, Trea Turner, and Juan Soto, the past two trade deadlines.
Candelario had a chance to be an everyday player at third base, restoring his career. Meanwhile, the Nationals, understanding they would not compete this season, hoped Candelario’s restoration would create a trade market by the deadline.
Candelario did that and then some. Candelario hit .258/.342/.481 with 16 home runs and 53 RBI. He was more impressive this season with runners in scoring position, where he hit .304 with a 1.008 OPS. He also hit four home runs, ten doubles and drove in 37. Attributes that the Cubs will welcome.
The Cubs were bound to be sellers ahead of Tuesday’s deadline. But they won eight straight games before Sunday’s loss to St. Louis, shifting the club’s focus to being buyers. Entering Monday, Chicago (53-52) is four games out of first place in the NL Central and three games out of the final NL wild-card spot.
Who are Kevin Made and DJ Herz, the Nats’ new prospects?
The Nationals get two prospects at positions of need for depth. Made was a 2019 international signing with the Cubs.
He started his minor league career at 18 years old with Low-A Myrtle Beach. This year, the now 20-year-old hit .254 with a .683 OPS, three home runs, 17 doubles, and 25 RBI in 70 games at High-A South Bend.
Defensively, Made had a .972 fielding percentage. He had seven errors against 81 putouts and 160 assists while turning 38 double plays.
MLB prospect rankings slots Made as the Nats’ second shortstop prospect. CJ Abrams, who the Nats acquired last summer from the San Diego Padres in the Soto trade, is the shortstop of the future. But depth behind him seemed scarce. Now, Washington has Made and 19-year-old Armando Cruz in their farm system at short.
DJ Herz was an eighth-round pick of the Cubs in 2019 out of Terry Sanford High School in Fayetteville, NC. The left-hand reliever appeared in 14 games this year for Double-A Tennessee.
He registered a 1-1 record with a 3.97 ERA and 1.424 WHIP in 59 innings pitched.
The Nats need bullpen arms. Herz has a 2024 estimated arrival to the majors. This season, Washington has the highest bullpen ERA (5.40) in the NL. No bullpen has allowed more home runs (59). The Nats get a homegrown arm in the farm system in Herz.
Grades for trade:
Two positions of need acquired on a chanced investment in Jeimer Candelario. The Nats cashed in. For that, executing Rizzo’s plan to turn a one-year feeler into two prospects, deserves an A- grade.
Candelario now has an opportunity to cash in for himself as he’ll help the Cubs, the team he started his MLB career with, make a playoff push down the stretch. Chicago gets the best bat available ahead of the trade deadline. It cost the Cubs two prospects that they may have lost patience with. Therefore Chicago gets a B+ grade.
