What the Curtis Mead Trade Signals for Nationals' Trade Deadline Plans
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Late on Saturday night, the Washington Nationals made their first move ahead of the trade deadline when they shipped infielder Curtis Mead to the Boston Red Sox in exchange for left-handed pitcher Connelly Early.
On paper, this looks like a massive win for the Nationals. Not only did they get back a high-upside starter with major league experience and multiple years of club control remaining at the age of 24. But they did so by trading away Mead, who wasn't even part of the organization at the start of the season.
This accomplished a big need for Washington, as they upgraded their pitching staff both in the short- and long-term. So what does this mean for the Nationals when it comes to the remainder of their deadline plans? Keep an eye on these moves now being made.
Foster Griffin Now Likely To Be Traded
With Early now part of Washington's organization, that almost assuredly means that Foster Griffin will be traded before the Aug. 3 deadline passes.
The two sides couldn't work out an extension. And with him putting in another dominant start on Saturday, president of baseball operations Paul Toboni will now likely try to flip the impending free agent instead of losing him on the open market for nothing.
Contenders around the league should be chomping at the bit to acquire a left-handed starter with a sub-3.00 ERA. And that should allow the Nationals to cash in without losing much production in their starting rotation with Early set to return from his injured list stint at some point in the second half.
Luis Garcia Jr. Could Get Traded for Prospects
Washington wanted to thread the needle by bolstering their farm system to increase their chances of having long-term success, while they also improved the current roster to help this group push for the playoffs. With Mead getting traded for Early, that allows Toboni to be more flexible when it comes to the returns he might get for his best assets, so it wouldn't be a surprise to see Luis Garcia Jr. get dealt for some top prospects because he has another year of club control remaining.
The other possibility is that Toboni waits as long as possible before Aug. 3 to see exactly where the Nationals sit in the playoff picture. If they are in a wild card spot or are only a couple of games within reach, then Washington could decide to be more aggressive when it comes to getting big league pieces in return for Garcia.
However, it's clear that Toboni is still planning to use this deadline as a way to boost the farm system. So it feels like Garcia will be used to accomplish that goal.
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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