As the Aug. 1 trade deadline approaches, the Washington Nationals will be sellers for the third consecutive year. The Nats are in last place in the NL East, 23.5 games out of first place, and 13 games back in the NL Wild card race.
Washington doesn’t have the big names like Trea Turner and Max Scherzer in 2021 and Juan Soto and Josh Bell in 2022, but they have formidable options that contenders eye. At the top of that list is infielder Jemier Candelario.
However, a scary incident in the eighth inning of Friday’s loss to the New York Mets almost put the Nationals’ plans in huge jeopardy.
Trailing 5-1 late, Candelario got thrown out a second trying to stretch a single to center field into a double. He got banged up sliding into second base.
The Nats held their collective breathing seeing the club’s best trade piece possibly injured. Fortunately, Candelario checked out fine. After the game, he told reporters, “I’m good. All good,” per Mark Zuckerman of MASN Sports.
Initially, Candelario was worried when he felt something in his left shoulder. He took swings in the cage afterward and said he would’ve been able to hit if his spot came up in the game again.
Candelario had an All-Star-worthy first half. He’s struggled some since the break, but that could do with the uncertainty surrounding his situation.
On the year, he is hitting .254 with a .812 OPS. He has 16 home runs and 52 RBI. Diving deeper into his numbers shows why he may have multiple suitors.
Candelario has primarily batted third in the Nats’ lineup. However, he’s had better results in the fourth and fifth spot in the lineup. He is batting .286 with .941 OPS, three home runs, and 15 RBI in 83 plate appearances in the cleanup spot.
He has a smaller sample size hitting fifth in the lineup. But the production is impressive. Candelario has hit .345 with a .976 OPS, one homer, and five RBI in eight plate appearances hitting fifth.
The Los Angeles Angels have been identified as a team that has discussed Candelario with the Nationals. With three games before the trade deadline, we’ll have to see how Washington handles Candelario after Friday night’s scary incident.
