It appears the Nationals will indeed try to be sellers ahead of this year’s MLB Trade Deadline, and the sell-off has begun.
On Saturday, the Nationals announced they have dealt RHP Hunter Harvey to the Kansas City Royals for minor-league third baseman Cayden Wallace and the No. 39 overall pick in this year’s MLB Draft, which was the Royals’ selection in the Competitive Balance A round.
Wallace, 22, was the No. 2 prospect in the Royals’ system after being a second-round pick in 2022, and he has a career .265/.342/.429 slash line in three minor-league seasons. He has missed a lot of this season due to an oblique strain and a rib fracture suffered while rehabbing, but he slashes .282/.350/.427 in 34 games at Double-A Northwest Arkansas.
Harvey, 29, had a 4.20 ERA in 45 innings over 43 appearances for the Nationals this season, with 50 strikeouts and 12 walks and an MLB-leading 26 holds entering Saturday. He is also under team control in 2025 as a third-year arbitration-eligible player, so the Royals will owe him the balance of his $2.35 million salary this year plus whatever he earns in arbitration in 2025.
The Nationals now have the Nos. 10, 39, and 44 picks on Sunday, and will select fifth in each round from 3-20 on Monday and Tuesday.
Adding the 39th pick also adds $2.395 million to their bonus pool, which now stands at $13.895 million total.
Wallace now slots in as the No. 6 prospect in Washington’s system – a slot that will tick up one if and when James Wood exhausts his rookie eligibility – and to replace Harvey on the active MLB roster, the Nats recalled RHP Amos Willingham from Triple-A Rochester.