Nationals Add Another Bullpen Arm in Historic Trade With Orioles
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The Washington Nationals need bullpen arms from anywhere they can get them.
They've deployed a skeleton unit this season. By using the available options that the majority of their relievers have, they've shifted the group around throughout the first part of the campaign. They've also added in-season additions via trades and waiver claims, and their latest move to augment their relief staff came in historic fashion.
On June 1, the Nationals announced that they completed a trade with the Baltimore Orioles for right-handed pitcher Kyle Nicolas. In exchange, Washington shipped out minor league infielder Randal Diaz, who was later sent to the Orioles' High-A affiliate.
Kyle Nicolas Creates More Depth for Nationals in Triple-A
Upon the completion of that trade, Washington optioned Nicolas to Triple-A Rochester. He now gives the Nationals more depth when it comes to their reliever pool, as he has 93 games of major league experience under his belt across four seasons.
Nicolas hasn't had a great go of it in the bigs, though. He owns a career ERA of 4.96 across 105 1/3 innings pitched, with 103 strikeouts to 66 walks. He also has a WHIP of 1.58 and an ERA+ of 87, so he's been a below average arm in the majors.
The 27-year-old began 2026 with the Pittsburgh Pirates, who he made his MLB debut with in 2023. He was traded to the Cincinnati Reds on March 4. He appeared in seven games and posted an ERA of 8.59 with seven strikeouts and 13 walks across 7 1/3 innings pitched. That caused the Reds to designate him for assignment before they traded him to Baltimore. Nicolas never appeared in an MLB game for the Orioles. He gave up three earned runs across 4 1/3 innings pitched with six strikeouts and eight walks with their Triple-A affiliate, so it seems like his control issues are still present.
Still, the Nationals need as many relief arms as they can get, so adding the former No. 61 overall pick of the 2020 draft at least gives them an additional pitcher they can turn to as needed.
This Trade Marks Historic Deal Between Nationals and Orioles
Beyond the practical addition of Nicolas, this deal was a historic moment between the Nationals and Orioles, as it marked the first time these two franchises made a trade with each other.
The Montreal Expos relocated to Washington to form the Nationals in 2005, and since that point, there has been a contentious relationship between the Beltway rivals. However, the animosity has waned ever since the Angelos family sold to David Rubenstein back in 2024.
Getting to the point where the two sides made a trade with each other is a landmark occurrence, though. And perhaps this low-level move is a precursor of what's to come in the future now that Paul Toboni has taken over as the president of baseball operations in the nation's capital.
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Brad Wakai graduated from Penn State University with a degree in Journalism. While an undergrad, he worked at the student radio station covering different Penn State athletic programs like football, basketball, volleyball, soccer and other sports. Brad became the Lead Contributor for Nittany Lions Wire of Gannett Media where he continued to cover Penn State athletics. Currently, Brad is the Publisher for Washington Nationals On SI and covers multiple teams across the On SI network. He is the host of the sports podcast I Said What I Said, where he and his co-host discuss topics across the NFL, College Football, the NBA and other sports. You can follow him on Twitter: @bwakai