Nationals Mulling Over Trading Luis Garcia Jr. as 'Multiple Teams Are Expressing Interest'
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Washington Nationals slugger Luis Garcia Jr. had a career-year during the first half of the season, as his 20 home runs were the most he's ever hit since becoming a Major League Baseball player.
His .284/.317/.554 slash line and OPS+ of 136 is a huge improvement compared to what he did last year when he slashed .252/.289/.412 with an OPS+ of 95. And now, with power-hitting lefties being desired by teams around the league, Garcia is reportedly drawing some attention.
According to The Athletic (subscription required), "Multiple teams are expressing interest in acquiring" the slugger. That now gives the Nationals a real opportunity to not only add pieces for a potential playoff push this season, but to also get back prospects for the future.
Nationals Still Assessing If They Want to Trade Luis Garcia Jr.
However, despite the fact that new president of baseball operations Paul Toboni was hired with the idea of pushing this rebuild forward, Washington isn't rushing to ship Garcia out of town.
Per The Athletic, trade talks "remain in a preliminary stage" and they have "yet to seriously engage" in conversations about trading the breakout star. With that said, they are "open to listening further about Garcia," but it sounds like they might have to be offered a lucrative return package to go through with a deal.
That's because, according to The Athletic, they "value him highly" due to the additional year of club control he has remaining at a reasonable price, his ability to perform at the major league level and the role he has played in establishing the new clubhouse culture as the longest-tenured player on this roster. Because of that, there are some worries about what trading him might do to team morale.
Nationals Confident in Options Behind Luis Garcia Jr. If He's Traded
If the Nationals are offered something that makes them move Garcia before the deadline, they are confident in the options they have behind him.
Top prospects Yohandy Morales and Abimelec Ortiz are waiting in Triple-A Rochester for their chance in The Show, as Morales leads the team's farm system in home runs with 21, while Ortiz has hit 16. The latter made his MLB debut before the All-Star break, and he went 1-for-2 with a double.
Beyond that duo, Andres Chaparro just had the best performance of his career on July 17 when he had eight RBIs. He's a right-handed-hitting option to use in a platoon. And while Curtis Mead has become the starting third baseman, he could also rotate at first base with a combination of other options to close out the season.
The alternatives Washington has behind Garcia could ultimately result in them trading him. And with teams now ramping up their pursuit of the breakout slugger, the Nationals are going to have a tough decision to make in the coming weeks.
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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