Nationals Could Try to Trade From Outfield Surplus Following Latest Addition

The Washington Nationals might try to flip one of their outfielders in a trade.

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The Washington Nationals made a surprising move on Monday when they announced they claimed outfielder Joey Wiemer off waivers.

That unit is easily the most loaded on their major league roster, and the addition of Wiemer came at a time when other areas have yet to be addressed. Because of that, it's easy to view this as a head-scratching move, even if it was a low-cost way for the Nationals to improve their overall depth and talent at a key position group.

It's hard to envision Wiemer playing a big role for Washington in 2026, though. With James Wood, Daylen Lile, Dylan Crews and Jacob Young penciled in as the four regulars, it's unlikely the former top prospect will be able to break through and carve out playing time for himself.

we've claimed OF Joey Wiemer off waivers pic.twitter.com/4rSIrkSvrs

— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) January 5, 2026

But could new president of baseball operations Paul Toboni have something bigger in mind now that he has added Wiemer as another depth option in the outfield?

With starting pitching and the bullpen being a clear area of need, perhaps he uses the surplus of outfielders he now has in a trade to try and improve those position groups. If that's the case, then these two players are the most obvious candidates to headline a deal.

Robert Hassell III

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Back in 2022, it was Robert Hassell III who was one of the headliners of the Juan Soto return package for the Nationals. With MacKenzie Gore and CJ Abrams being major league-ready players, it was Hassell who was viewed as the prized prospect over Wood.

Things have not turned out that way, though, as Wood looks like a rising superstar in the sport and there are questions if Hassell will ever be able to put together a successful MLB career. With a slash line of .223/.257/.315 that he recorded across 70 games last season, he likely won't generate a strong return package for Washington. But because he's still just 24 years old, there could be some outfield-needy teams out there who would give up a pitching asset for the youngster.

Whether that's a starting-caliber arm or a bullpen piece isn't clear. However, if the Nationals are viewing some of their depth options as expendable, then there's a good chance they could get something back for Hassell despite his underwhelming career thus far.

Christian Franklin

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Christian Franklin has yet to play a game for Washington at the big league level. But that doesn't mean he wouldn't generate interest from other teams. After all, the Nationals acquired him ahead of the trade deadline from the Chicago Cubs as part of the return for Michael Soroka, and they added him to the 40-man roster this offseason to protect him ahead of the Rule 5 Draft.

Turning around and flipping him seems unlikely. But if a team views him as a possible foundational piece of their outfield going forward, then Washington might be able to get a valuable pitching asset in return for the 13th-ranked prospect.

Welcome to the Nationals, Christian Franklin! Franklin went 3-for-4 with a homer and a pair of doubles last Saturday. It was his second three-hit performance in his last six games. pic.twitter.com/Bu3g4yl9uB

— Nationals Player Development (@Nats_PlayerDev) July 31, 2025

Franklin hasn't appeared in an MLB game yet, but he impressed at the Triple-A level this past season. Across 117 games, the 26-year-old slashed .272/.390/.427 with 12 home runs, 23 doubles, 64 RBIs and 80 walks drawn compared to 110 strikeouts.

That type of production should be enough to get a solid back-end starter or a solid relief option in return if the Nationals felt like trading him this winter, which could be on the table now that they claimed Wiemer off waivers.