Nationals Open to Trading From Farm System Depth, Here's Who Could Be Available

Could the Washington Nationals look to trade these prospects?

Washington Nationals president of baseball operations Paul Toboni | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

What the Washington Nationals might try to do ahead of the upcoming trade deadline has been repeated ad nauseum, and that's largely because no one really knows how they are going operate.

Entering the season, this franchise looked like surefire sellers. CJ Abrams was predicted to be dealt, along with their impending free agents and anyone else who played themselves into a valuable spot for contenders around the league. But the team has overperformed, and with just days until the deadline arrives, first-year president of baseball operations Paul Toboni has to decide if he's still going to sell, or if he's going to add pieces to his roster to help this group push for the playoffs.

If Toboni decides to buy, then he has some promising prospects he can use to acquire established major league players. And according to The Athletic (subscription required), the Nationals have let teams know that "they are willing to trade from their surplus of position player talent in the farm system."

Who exactly fits that bill isn't clear, but here are the prospects, both in the infield and outfield, who could be made available for trade.

Nationals Have 11 Infielders in Their Top 30 Rankings

Washington Nationals prospect Eli Willits | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Per MLB Pipeline's rankings, Washington has 11 infielders who are deemed top 30 prospects in their farm system. Of course, the headliner of that group -- and their entire pipeline -- is Eli Willits. He is untouchable, and he'll be removed from this conversation. As will Seaver King, who is currently with Triple-A Rochester and seems like he will be called up later in the season.

But the other nine might all be moveable depending on what the Nationals could get in return:

-Ronny Cruz (No. 5)
-Devin Fitz-Gerald (No. 6)
-Luke Dickerson (No. 12)
-Ethan Petry (No. 15)
-Coy James (No. 18)
-Marconi German (No. 20)
-Angel Feliz (No. 22)
-Abimelec Ortiz (No. 23)
-Yohandy Morales (No. 26)

That's not to say Washington would prefer to trade any of these prospects. Cruz and Fitz-Gerald have been breakout players this year, and Petry continues to mash the baseball. Dickerson and James have also shown some pop this season. German and Feliz are 18 and 19 years old, respectively, who could factor into the next wave of players for the Nationals. And Ortiz and Morales are knocking on the door of the bigs, where both of them could be promoted to The Show to close out the year.

However, there is also a lot of redundancy across this position group. Cruz, Fitz-Gerald and James are all middle infielders. So are German and Feliz. Dickerson and Petry are both right-handed power hitters. And Ortiz and Morales seem like they will be competing for the long-term first baseman role.
Trading away some of these prospects would not only clear up the logjam down on the farm, but it would also allow Washington to improve their areas of weakness across the big league roster.

If I had to guess who Toboni and the front office would most be comfortable with trading, my hunch would land on Dickerson, James, Feliz and Morales.

Dickerson was a fourth-round pick in the 2024 draft out of high school. He has speed and power tools, which makes him an interesting prospect. However, there are a lot of middle infielders throughout the organization, which makes me believe he's expendable. Same with James. He's hitting just .219, but he has 15 homers and 60 RBIs at the age of 19. That should be attractive for other teams looking for long-term middle infield help. Morales doesn't appear to be in this regime's plans despite his gaudy numbers with Rochester, and Feliz was signed by the previous front office.

7 Outfielders Are in Nationals' Top 30 Prospects

Washington Nationals outfielder Christian Franklin | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

When it comes to the outfield group down on the farm, MLB Pipeline lists seven in Washington's top 30 prospects. And after Gavin Fien was moved into the outfield after he was drafted as a shortstop, he seems like the only one who would fall into the untouchable category.

The Nationals could be willing to move the rest:

-Yeremy Cabrera (No. 19)
-Sam Petersen (No. 21)
-Nauris De La Cruz (No. 27)
-Samil Serrano (No. 28)
-Christian Franklin (No. 29)
-Andrew Pinckney (No. 30)

Admittedly, there's a chance that Cabrera might be considered untouchable by Toboni and his front office. After all, he was a key part in the return package of the MacKenzie Gore trade this past winter. But after he starred in the early part of the season for Single-A Fredericksburg, he has struggled with High-A Wilmington. He's only 21 years old so that isn't too much of a concern, but that might have changed the thinking around the top prospect if he can bring in a valuable piece for Washington.

Other than Cabrera, it wouldn't be a surprise to see any of the remaining five players get traded. At some point, Franklin and Pinckney -- aged 26 and 25, respectively -- need to get reps in the majors. It doesn't seem like that's going to come with the Nationals, so they might be used to land a bullpen arm or two.

Petersen is a ready-made college bat who could be pushing for a big league callup late next season. If Washington decides to hold onto Jacob Young, then their outfield outlook will be crowded, especially if they keep Franklin and Pinckney. Both De La Cruz and Serrano are at the rookie levels, so either one of them could be a sweetener for a potential deal ahead of the deadline.

All of this is to point out that the Nationals have plenty of attractive assets to trade away if they want to upgrade their major league roster. And based on the depth they have built, their pipeline wouldn't be gutted if they go down that route.