The Washington Nationals are doing something totally wild right now: they’re sitting at a completely respectable 52-52 heading into Saturday, just three games out of a playoff spot, and with the Aug. 3 trade deadline looming, their new front office has a bonkers plan to both BUY and SELL. Seriously, how many teams pull that off mid-season?
Washington’s Bonkers Balancing Act Has The League Watching
This Nats squad has been one of the season’s biggest shocks, a genuinely pleasant surprise. You’ve got to respect it! But here’s the thing: their new president of baseball operations, Paul Toboni, and his crew aren’t about to blow up their long-term vision just because they’re hovering around .500. Nope, their intent is to make some light additions before the deadline. Yeah, those additions could even be outweighed by what the team ends up selling, but the fact they’re even thinking about adding *anything* is super notable.
Why the dual strategy? They’ve got some serious pitching needs for both the rotation and what’s been a pretty leaky bullpen. On the other side, All-Stars Foster Griffin and C.J. Abrams are garnering serious interest from other teams. Griffin, who’s 30, was a huge free-agent pickup this past offseason, signing a one-year, $5.5 million deal after returning from a stint in Japan. He’s been straight-up lights out, rocking an 11-2 record with a sparkling 2.68 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, and 111 strikeouts in 117 ⅓ innings. The bad news? Extension talks with him fizzled quickly. So, Toboni is gonna have to walk a tightrope here, trying to get better for today while keeping an eye on tomorrow.
A’s Take A Flyer On A Familiar Face From The Past
Over in the American League, the Athletics just made a move that’s got people talking, though maybe for different reasons. They’ve signed former Cy Young winner Dallas Keuchel to a minor-league deal. Think about that for a second. Keuchel hasn’t even pitched in the majors since 2024, when he had a rough four-start stint with the Brewers, posting a 5.40 ERA. He spent all of 2025 down in Triple-A with the Royals organization, where he had a 2-1 record with a 3.53 ERA across seven starts. This season? Nothing in affiliated ball, and the guy is 38 years old. This is definitely a long shot. It’s a classic A’s move, right? Low risk, maybe a tiny bit of reward if lightning strikes. But it shows you just how much teams are digging deep for arms as the deadline gets closer.
The trade deadline is just over a week away, and the rumor mill is spinning like crazy because only eight teams are more than four games out of a playoff spot. That means there’s a crazy seller’s market out there! It’s going to be absolutely wild to see how Toboni navigates this uncharted territory for the Nationals. Will they truly manage to buy and sell effectively? And for Keuchel, can an old dog learn new tricks, or even just find his way back to a big-league mound? August 3rd is gonna be appointment viewing, that’s for sure.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by CBS Sports.
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