Nationals Trade Former Top Prospect to Pirates for Lackluster Return
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It has not been a quiet All-Star break for the Washington Nationals.
It was revealed that left-handed pitcher Matt Krook opted to become a free agent instead of accepting an outright assignment to Triple-A Rochester. Then, backup catcher Drew Millas was placed on the 10-day injured list while right-handed reliever Max Kranick was reinstated from his own IL stint. Later, it was reported that star catching prospect Harry Ford is set to make his team debut as the replacement for Millas. And now, there is another bit of notable news that has taken place.
Per a statement from the team, the Nationals announced that they traded outfielder Robert Hassell III to the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for cash considerations or a player to be named later. That ends a disappointing tenure with Washington for the former top prospect, as he'll look to get his career on track in another environment.
Nationals Pull Plug on Robert Hassell III
Hassell was infamously part of the return package from the San Diego Padres in the Juan Soto deal. Other prospects in that trade were CJ Abrams, MacKenzie Gore, James Wood and Jarlin Susana, who all either blossomed into stars for the franchise or have been dominant in the minors, as is the case with Susana, despite his current injury.
Unfortunately for Hassell, his career hasn't gone the same way is it has for the others, as he's failed to live up to the hype he had coming up the ranks as a top 100 prospect.
It took until the 2025 season for the No. 8 overall pick of the 2020 draft to make his major league debut, and when he arrived in The Show, he didn't do much with his opportunity. Hassell slashed .223/.257/.315 across 70 games. He only hit three home runs with 12 extra-base hits and 18 RBIs. One of the concerns surrounding the now-24-year-old was if he would ever develop a power element to his game, and at this stage of his career, it's evident that he hasn't.
But the biggest issue for Hassell is the fact that he's struggled to be a consistent hitter against high-level pitching, which is why it seems like this front office regime for the Nationals -- which didn't acquire him in the first place -- was willing to move on after they previously designated him for assignment on July 5 and then found a trade partner after he cleared outright waivers.
The return Washington got for Hassell is certainly lackluster, as cash considerations or a low-profile player is not something anyone envisioned he would net if he was traded based on his previous standing as a high-level prospect. But his lack of success created this market, and the Nationals clearly felt it was in their best interest to get what they could for him at this point of his career.
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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