Washington Nationals Send Slugger to Chicago Cubs Ahead of Trade Deadline

Two weeks ago, everyone thought that the Cubs were going to trade both Marcus Stroman and Cody Bellinger at the trade deadline.

Now, with the team having won eight of its last 10, the Cubs have flipped the script, becoming buyers in advance of Tuesday's deadline.

Chicago, who enters play on Monday at 4.0 games back in the National League Central and just 3.5 back in the wild card, acquired slugger Jeimer Candelario in a deal with the Washington Nationals.

The #Cubs today acquired INF Jeimer Candelario and a cash consideration from the Washington Nationals for minor league LHP DJ Herz and minor league INF Kevin Made.

The #Cubs today acquired INF Jeimer Candelario and a cash consideration from the Washington Nationals for minor league LHP DJ Herz and minor league INF Kevin Made. pic.twitter.com/D6UovULOmo
— Chicago Cubs (@Cubs) July 31, 2023

The 29-year-old Candelario is in his eighth year in the big leagues with the Tigers, Cubs, Nationals and now Cubs again. He's hitting .258 with 16 homers and 53 RBI.

As for the players the Nationals acquired:

Made is the 14th-ranked prospect in the Cubs organization per MLB.com. Here's a portion of his prospect profile:

Made's quick right-handed swing and advanced bat-to-ball skills have helped him survive against much older and experienced competition. He has shown the ability to make adjustments as he has gotten acclimated to a level and his walk rate soared from 2 percent in his debut to 11 percent last year, a very encouraging sign. He has projectable strength and shows the ability to turn on pitches, so he could provide 15-20 homers per season once he begins driving the ball in the air more regularly.

Herz was the team's 16th-ranked prospect:

Herz barely used a changeup as an amateur, but now it's his best pitch, as he sells his low-80s cambio with fastball arm speed before it vanishes at the plate. His heater sits at 91-94 mph and tops out at 96 with late life that keeps it off barrels. He was able to thrive at the lower levels with mainly those two offerings before his inability to land his upper-70s spike curveball caught up to him in Double-A, prompting him to work on a low-80s slider this offseason that fits better with his low arm slot.

Herz's extreme crossfire delivery with a long arm swing creates a lot of deception but also compromises his ability to repeat his mechanics and throw strikes.

The trade deadline is Tuesday at 6 p.m. ET.

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