Trailing the Mets by 7.5 games in the NL East with the MLB trade deadline fast approaching, the Nationals have made clear they're open for business.
Until 4 p.m. rolls around on Friday, Nats fans will have a sizable sweat going, awaiting to see if their favorite stars are dealt, with starter Max Scherzer and shortstop Trea Turner the most coveted players potentially available for trade.
In his weekly 106.7 The Fan appearance with The Sports Junkies, Nats GM Mike Rizzo wouldn't rule out the possibility of trading Turner, who still has a year of control remaining beyond this season, but made clear the 28-year-old All-Star won't come cheap.
"You want to trade for Trea Turner? You've got to come and get him," Rizzo said Wednesday. "Because he makes your team when you trade for him."
"It's got to be a deal that we can't walk away from and we can't refuse," he said. "I think Trea understands that. He knows the game as well as anybody I've ever been around, and he knows my affection for him and my affinity for his game, and for him and his wife and new baby to be a Washington National.
"If something were to happen where we got an offer that we couldn't refuse, he would understand it and it would be the best thing for the organization. But, with that said, I told you the parameters that would have to happen for us to do that deal."
Turner is one of the most prized commodities on the trade market, a power-hitting shortstop with as much pop as you'll find at a premium position in the middle of the field. Through 96 games, Turner's hitting .322 with 18 homers, 17 doubles, three triples, 49 RBI, 21 stolen bases and has an .890 OPS.
Asked if any official offers have been made for Turner, Rizzo said, "We've taken offers. We've had ideas thrown at us. We've had concepts. But he's our shortstop and he's everything you just said he was. He's one of the greatest trades I ever made."
"And he turned out to be one of the great superstars in all of baseball and we're proud to have him here," he continued. "He's awesome in the community. He's terrific in the clubhouse. He's a well liked player by the front office and the staff, and management loves him. Again, he's one of the most impactful players in the game."
Turner, a first-round pick of San Diego's in 2014, famously came to Washington in a three-team trade involving the Nats, Padres and Rays in Dec. 2014. The end result was Washington receiving Turner as a player to be named later and pitcher Joe Ross, while only giving up Steven Souza Jr. and a pitcher who never made it to the big leagues.
Rizzo was asked to respond to a Peter Gammons report that Nationals ownership has no long-term plans for Turner, who becomes a free agent after the 2022 season.
"Now I don't know what to believe and what not to believe, but Peter Gammons is pretty plugged in," said Junkies host Jason Bishop. "When he tweets out that the Lerners, your bosses, are not willing to give Trea the long-term deal that he probably would get — I don't know if it would be on the Tatis level, but — is that accurate or inaccurate?"
"We've been in conversation with Trea on extensions for the last couple of spring trainings, so it would be inaccurate," Rizzo said.
