The post-trade-deadline portion of the 2025 Nationals season began tonight with a dud that neither offered much new hope for an August bounceback nor answered one of the great unknown questions now confronting this team: Who’s the closer now?

Interim manager Miguel Cairo chose to keep that information private when asked this afternoon, promising we’ll all find out together the next time the Nats take a lead into the ninth inning. It certainly didn’t happen tonight during a 16-9 thumping at the hands of the Brewers that felt like it was decided by the middle of the third, with the home team scoring five runs in the ninth to make it look a bit closer.

Mitchell Parker was battered around by the same Milwaukee lineup that put a hurting on him earlier this month at American Family Field, the left-hander charged with eight runs on 12 hits in four-plus innings.

That left the remnants of a Nationals bullpen that lost its three most reliable arms in the last 48 hours to cobble together five innings before this game could be completed. The four relievers who pitched tonight collectively gave up eight runs of their own to turn this one into a complete laugher (aside from those in the crowd of 25,194 who booed during the later innings).

The 25 hits allowed by the Nats shattered the previous club record of 22, set on five different occasions over the last two decades.

The Nationals filled the four roster holes that opened up over the final 36 hours leading into the trade deadline with four players from Triple-A who already were on the organization’s 40-man roster.

The Nats recalled outfielder Robert Hassell III, left-hander Shinnosuke Ogasawara and right-handers Orlando Ribalta and Ryan Loutos from Rochester, adding all four to the active roster before tonight’s series opener against the Brewers.

Hassell replaces Alex Call, who was traded to the Dodgers on Thursday for two minor league pitchers. The 23-year-old (a key acquisition in the 2022 blockbuster Juan Soto deal) makes his second big league stint after batting .218 with one homer, eight RBIs and a .497 OPS in 21 games in late May and early June. He returned to form once back at Triple-A, batting .336 with six homers, 25 RBIs and a .954 OPS in 33 games.

“Everything worked well for me,” he said of his recent performance. “I’m happy to be back.”

Hassell joins an already crowded Nationals outfield that currently features James Wood, Jacob Young and Daylen Lile and should get Dylan Crews back soon. (Crews, who made his rehab debut with Rochester on Tuesday, is off tonight but is scheduled to play six innings for the Red Wings both Saturday and Sunday as he gets back into shape more than two months after suffering an oblique strain.)

CHICAGO – The message from interim manager Tony Mansolino and the players remaining in the Orioles clubhouse is clear: Yes, the trade deadline may have shaken things up, but the goal of winning a baseball game each day remains the same. 

The Orioles, with their young core still in place, believe they still have the talent to do just that. The names on the lineup card, particularly in the middle, have changed a bit, and Mansolino will need to get creative with a bullpen missing many of its established arms. 

But as Mansolino said pregame, there’s no time for licking wounds. There’s baseball to be played out in Chicago. 

Trevor Rogers was more than up to the challenge. The O's offense, though, couldn't find a rhythm in a 1-0 loss to the Cubs.

The lefty tossed the first complete-game loss for the Orioles since Chris Tillman did it back in 2013. 

The Nationals who take the field tonight against the Brewers are going to look quite different from the Nationals who last took the field here more than a week ago. Six players were traded prior to the July 31 deadline, including arguably their three most reliable relievers. What remains is going to have to exceed expectations over the season’s final two months to avoid a complete collapse.

And the initial challenge is about as tough as it’s going to get, with the best-in-baseball Brewers in town this weekend. The Nats already were swept earlier this month in Milwaukee. They’ll hope for better results this time around, with Mitchell Parker on the mound for the series opener. Parker was roughed up by the Brewers last time, giving up seven runs (six of them coming in the third inning alone).

A Nationals lineup that actually remains intact – only bench players Amed Rosario and Alex Call wound up getting dealt – will try to get something going against Milwaukee starter Jose Quintana. The veteran lefty is doing what he always does, owner of a 3.50 ERA and 1.336 WHIP in 15 starts to date. He’s not flashy, but he gets the job done.

Reminder: Tonight’s game is only on Apple TV+. It’ll be Alex Faust, Ryan Spilborghs and Tricia Whitaker on the call.

MILWAUKEE BREWERS at WASHINGTON NATIONALS
Where: Nationals Park
Gametime: 6:45 p.m. EDT
TV: Apple TV+
Radio: 106.7 FM, 87.7 FM (Spanish), MLB.com
Weather: Cloudy, 73 degrees, wind 8 mph in from center field

The Washington Nationals recalled right-handed pitcher Orlando Ribalta from Triple-A Rochester on Thursday and recalled outfielder Robert Hassell III, right-handed pitcher Ryan Loutos and left-handed pitcher Shinnosuke Ogasawara from Triple-A Rochester on Friday. Nationals Interim General Manager Mike DeBartolo made the announcements.

Hassell III, 23, returns to the Nationals for his second Major League stint of the season. He hit .336 with a .435 on-base percentage and a .519 slugging percentage in 33 games since returning to Rochester on June 16. He recorded six doubles, six homers, 25 RBI, 23 walks, 23 strikeouts, seven stolen bases and 26 runs scored during that stint.

Hassell III made his Major League debut on May 22 and appeared in 21 games with the Nationals during his first big league call-up. He hit .218 with a double, home run, eight RBI, one walk, one stolen base and six runs scored while appearing in both center field and right field.

Loutos, 26, pitched to a 2.16 ERA (2 ER/8.1 IP) and a .107 opponents’ average (3-for-28) with eight strikeouts and three walks in eight games since returning to Triple-A Rochester on July 6. He appeared in eight games out of Washington’s bullpen from June 14 through July 5, going 1-0 with an 9.82 ERA in 7.1 innings.

Ogasawara, 27, returns to the Nationals after going 1-0 with a 1.80 ERA (2 ER/10.0 IP) with seven strikeouts in his last two starts with Triple-A Rochester. In eight Minor League starts this season, Ogasawara is 2-1 with a 3.71 ERA, 31 strikeouts and 10 walks between the FCL Nationals, High-A Wilmington and Triple-A Rochester.

CHICAGO – The usual nametags weren’t anywhere to be found in the visitor’s clubhouse this afternoon. 

There’s no Cedric Mullins, who patrolled center field in Baltimore for parts of eight seasons. Ryan O’Hearn and Ramón Urías won’t be digging into the infield dirt in Wrigley Field this weekend. The bullpen has about half of its normal arms. 

Things feel different. 

The Orioles’ farm got significantly better over the last month with an influx of talent from both the MLB Draft and trade deadline. That impact won’t be felt in the big leagues until those prospects either develop into major league talent themselves or are traded for established veterans. 

For now, the Orioles will be playing the rest of the 2025 season with a different cast of characters. It’s a good thing that Baltimore finds itself in “The Friendly Confines” with so many new faces. 

The 2025 trade deadline is over and the Orioles are left to play the final 53 games of their season with a roster that’s undergone a serious makeover and a room full of players who aren’t kidding about their intent to keep winning. 

Doing so just got a lot harder.

Executive vice president/general manager Mike Elias did what he felt was necessary in trading away nine players and aiming mostly at the lower levels of the farm system with the returns. It wasn’t supposed to be this way in 2025, but the Orioles tried to spin a negative into something positive.

“As we saw yesterday, we had a very active trade deadline,” Elias said earlier today in a video call that lasted almost 27 minutes. “We were in a position to have to sell because of a very disappointing first half with this team. I’ve spoken about it. This is not how we envisioned this season going and it’s something that we’re taking a hard look in the mirror about, about how we got here. I think a lot of it was bad luck, but there’s also stuff that we need to improve on as an organization, and we’re going to do that. But this is a business where there’s a lot of competition and we fell short in the first half.

“I think the team has played really well lately and we’ve gotten healthier, and we’ve seen the style of play and some of the success that we were hoping for in the last few weeks on the field. But looking at our record, our front office and our entire operation made a decision to sell at the deadline, and I think in the context of that, we are very pleased with the talent that we’ve received in return. And I think along with our draft, this has been an enormous injection of talent into the Orioles organization over the month of July.”

CHICAGO – The trade deadline has come and gone, and what a busy day it was. 

For most of us, anyway. Kevin Brown and I were stuck in an airport vying for a plane to Chicago for about six hours. 

The Orioles were certainly busy, though, trading away Cedric Mullins, Ryan O’Hearn, Ramón Laureano and Charlie Morton, adding to their previous deals sending Ramón Urías, Andrew Kittredge, Seranthony Domínguez, Gregory Soto and Bryan Baker out of town. 

On a lengthy edition of “The Bird’s Nest,” Annie Klaff and I broke down all of the deals in great detail. You can listen to the full episode here.

The biggest prospect returns came in the form of arms Boston Bateman and Juaron Watts-Brown, who joined the O’s top 30, according to MLB Pipeline, at spots six and nine, respectively. 

The Orioles filled the remaining openings on their roster this morning by selecting the contract of outfielder Jordyn Adams from Triple-A Norfolk and infielder Terrin Vavra from Double-A Chesapeake and recalling infielder Luis Vázquez from Norfolk.

The trio joins infielder Jeremiah Jackson and reliever Yaramil Hiraldo, who were recalled last night.

Ryan O’Hearn, Cedric Mullins and Ramón Laureano will be by their absences from today’s lineup against the Cubs at Wrigley Field.

Jordan Westburg has nine hits and seven runs scored over his last three games. He's likely the starting third baseman.

Left-hander Trevor Rogers has registered a 1.49 ERA and 0.786 WHIP in eight starts.

The Orioles have made the following roster moves:

• Recalled INF Luis Vázquez from Triple-A Norfolk.
• Selected the contract of OF Jordyn Adams from Double-A Chesapeake. He will wear No. 80.
• Selected the contract of INF Terrin Vavra Double-A Chesapeake. He will wear No. 54.

The Orioles’ 40-man roster currently has 35 players.

After a frantic final 48 hours, the dust has settled and the trade deadline has passed. The Nationals had their most active late-July since 2021, with interim general manager Mike DeBartolo making five deals involving six veterans traded away for 10 prospects in return. They didn’t make any earth-shattering moves, but swap out a sizeable group of players who didn’t figure into the club’s long-term plans for a larger group of young players who could some day.

Now, what’s left after all that? A host of questions that still need answering. Which we’ll attempt to do right here in our morning-after explainer …

WHY DIDN’T THEY TRADE JOSH BELL OR PAUL DEJONG?
Because, quite frankly, there weren’t any takers. DeBartolo said he attempted to make deals that would have given both veterans an opportunity to play on contenders before becoming free agents, but “ultimately nothing came together.” So while the five other vets on expiring contracts (Kyle Finnegan, Michael Soroka, Amed Rosario, Andrew Chafin, Luis Garcia) did get traded, Bell and DeJong did not and remain with the club as the calendar shifts to August.

HOW SERIOUS WERE THEY ABOUT TRADING MACKENZIE GORE?
Obviously, not serious enough to actually pull the trigger on what would’ve been the team’s biggest deadline deal since the blockbuster that brough Gore to D.C. in the first place three years ago. DeBartolo said two weeks ago he would listen to any offers that came his way from other clubs, but he viewed the 26-year-old lefty as a key part of their core group of young players they’re ultimately trying to win with. And he stayed true to his word. Though there were calls from a number of interested parties, none was willing to meet the exceptionally high price DeBartolo established for his ace. So Gore remains a National.

DID ALEX CALL REALLY FETCH THE BEST PROSPECT RETURN OF ANYONE?
Based on MLB Pipeline’s rankings, yes. The two players the Dodgers sent in exchange for Call (right-handers Sean Paul Liñan and Eriq Swan) now rate as the Nationals’ 10th and 12th best prospects, with the two players they acquired from the Cubs for Soroka (outfielder Christian Franklin, shortstop Ronny Cruz) each one notch below in spots No. 11 and 13. How did that happen? Well, DeBartolo sold high on Call, who over the last two seasons produced a solid .297/.388/.432 slash line across 350 plate appearances in a part-time role. He also comes with a whopping four remaining years of club control and two minor league options as well. That’s probably why L.A. was willing to give up a couple of decent prospects in return.

OK, so now what?

The Orioles traded center fielder Cedric Mullins to the Mets yesterday for three minor league relievers, first baseman/outfielder Ryan O’Hearn and outfielder Ramón Laureano to the Padres for six players drafted last year, and starter Charlie Morton to the Tigers for a left-hander also drafted last year, after they made earlier moves with relievers Bryan Baker, Gregory Soto, Seranthony Domínguez and Andrew Kittredge and infielder Ramón Urías. This isn’t an entirely new team, but it’s got a drastically different look heading into the weekend series against the Cubs.

The final count: Nine players traded and 17 received, including left-hander Dietrich Enns, who arrived for cash considerations and is expected in the visiting bullpen tonight at Wrigley Field. No one else among the newbies gets in without a ticket.

The bullpen is almost unrecognizable, and that perception is enhanced by Félix Bautista’s extended stay on the injured list. The inflammation in his right shoulder made an MRI inconclusive and it’s going to take a few more weeks to get a reading.

Yennier Cano and Keegan Akin should hold hands.

The Orioles had six openings on their 26-man roster after today’s flurry of trades at the deadline. They narrowed it to five with one last transaction.

Left-hander Dietrich Enns was acquired from the Tigers for cash considerations, another move that apparently came just under the wire.

Enns, 34, made seven appearances with the Tigers this season, including a pair of starts, and allowed 11 earned runs and 12 total with 23 hits, four walks and 15 strikeouts in 17 2/3 innings. The two starts came on June 26 and July 3, his first appearances with Detroit, and he had mixed results – five scoreless innings with one hit allowed against the Athletics and seven earned runs (eight total) and eight hits in four innings in D.C.

Four of his five relief appearances were scoreless. The exception came on July 24 against the Blue Jays, with four runs allowed in 1 1/3.

Enns made 14 starts with Triple-A Toledo this year and registered a 2.89 ERA in 62 1/3 innings. He walked 15 batters, struck out 71 and surrendered only four home runs.

The Orioles have made the following roster moves:

• Recalled RHP Yaramil Hiraldo from Double-A Chesapeake.
• Recalled INF Jeremiah Jackson from Triple-A Norfolk.
• C Jacob Stallings elected free agency in lieu of accepting an outright assignment to Triple-A Norfolk.

The Orioles’ 40-man roster currently has 33 players.

The Nationals made only two more deals before this evening's trade deadline passed, sending Kyle Finnegan to the Tigers and Alex Call to the Dodgers, ultimately choosing to retain two veterans on expiring contracts and a host of players under club control headlined by MacKenzie Gore.

The 6 p.m. deadline passed with no last-minute moves, according to a club source. The Nats listened to offers for Gore and explored deals for Josh Bell and Paul DeJong but did not find any that met their demands.

Thus was interim general manager Mike DeBartolo more active on the days leading up to July 31 than he was on the actual deadline day. The Nationals dealt four veterans (Amed Rosario, Andrew Chafin, Luis Garcia, Michael Soroka) set to become free agents over the last week. They then wrapped up the late-July feeding frenzy with two moves this afternoon. They received 10 prospects total in return, six of them pitchers.

"I feel excited about what we did the last few days, getting some really exciting young players to bolster our farm system," DeBartolo said. "At a high level, we were just looking at the roster, taking opportunities where whatever was in the long-term best interests of the Nationals, and getting as many young players as we could to get back to where we want to be next year and beyond."

The Nats traded Finnegan to the Tigers for two starting pitching prospects drafted last year, dealing their veteran closer to a contender after passing on comparable opportunities to do so the last two seasons. The trade sends the 33-year-old reliever to Detroit for right-handers Josh Randall and R.J. Sales.

The Orioles tonight announced that they have acquired left-handed pitcher DIETRICH ENNS from the Detroit Tigers in exchange for cash considerations.

Enns, 34, is 1-1 with a 5.60 ERA (11 ER/17.2 IP) with 23 hits (2 HR), 12 total runs, four walks, and 15 strikeouts in seven appearances (2 GS) with Detroit after having his contract selected from Triple-A Toledo on June 26. In 14 starts with the Mud Hens this season, he went 2-2 with a 2.89 ERA (20 ER/62.1 IP). The Frankfort, Ill. native spent the previous three years overseas in Japan (2022-23) and Korea (2024). He’s appeared in 18 career major league games (3 GS) over parts of three years with the Tigers, Tampa Bay Rays, and Minnesota Twins. He was originally selected in the 19^th round of the 2012 First-Year Player Draft by the New York Yankees out of Central Michigan University. The Twins acquired him, along with right-handed pitcher Zack Littell, in exchange for left-hander Jaime García on July 30, 2017.

The Orioles tonight announced that they have acquired minor league left-handed pitcher MICAH ASHMAN from the Detroit Tigers in exchange for right-handed pitcher CHARLIE MORTON and cash considerations.

Ashman, 22, is 4-3 with four saves and a 1.49 ERA (7 ER/42.1 IP) with 24 hits, 12 total runs, nine walks, one hit batter, and 50 strikeouts in 30 relief appearances between Double-A Erie and High-A West Michigan. He went 4-3 with a 1.60 ERA (7 ER/39.1 IP) in 28 games with the Whitecaps prior to his July 22 promotion to the SeaWolves. The Salt Lake City, Utah native made his professional debut last season, appearing in five games for Single-A Lakeland after being selected in the 11^th round of the 2024 First Year Player Draft out of the University of Utah.

Morton, 41, made 23 appearances (17 GS) for the Orioles, going 7-8 with a 5.42 ERA (61 ER/101.1 IP). He signed a one-year major league contract for the 2025 season with Baltimore on January 3, 2025. 

The Orioles today announced that they have acquired minor league left-handed pitcher BOSTON BATEMAN, minor league right-handed pitchers TYSON NEIGHBORS and TANNER SMITH, minor league infielders BRANDON BUTTERWORTH and COBB HIGHTOWER, and minor league infielder/outfielder VICTOR FIGUEROA from the San Diego Padres in exchange for outfielder RAMÓN LAUREANO, infielder/outfielder RYAN O’HEARN, and cash considerations.

Bateman, 19, is 5-5 with a 4.08 ERA (31 ER/68.1 IP) with 65 hits (1 HR), 34 total runs, 25 walks, three hit batters, and 75 strikeouts in 15 starts for Single-A Elsinore, making his professional debut. The Henderson, Nev. native was originally selected in the second round (No. 52 overall) of the 2024 First-Year Player Draft out of Adolfo Camarillo High School (CA). He is currently ranked as the No. 4 Padres prospect by MLB Pipeline and No. 6 by Baseball America.

Neighbors, 22, is 3-0 with six saves and a 1.85 ERA (9 ER/43.2 IP) with 23 hits (4 HR), 10 total runs, 18 walks, four hit batters, and 64 strikeouts in 32 appearances between Double-A San Antonio and High-A Fort Wayne this season. The Sulphur Springs, Texas native was originally selected in the fourth round of the 2024 First-Year Player Draft out of Kansas State University. He is currently ranked as the No. 12 Padres prospect by MLB Pipeline and No. 20 by Baseball America.

Smith, 22, is 1-3 with a 3.46 ERA (10 ER/26.0 IP) with 27 hits, 18 total runs, 14 walks, one hit batter, and 34 strikeouts in 17 games (2 GS) between Single-A Lake Elsinore and Rookie-level ACL Padres this season, his first professional game action. The Duxbury, Mass. native was originally selected in the 15^th round of the 2024 First-Year Player Draft out of Harvard University (MA).

Butterworth, 22, is hitting .267/.327/.455 (91-for-341) with 17 doubles, seven triples, 11 home runs, 61 runs scored, 46 RBI, 26 walks, and 13 stolen bases in 89 games with High-A Fort Wayne this season. He is tied for the Midwest League lead in triples, while his 155 total bases rank third in the league. The Charlotte, N.C. native was originally selected in the 12^th round of the 2024 First-Year Player Draft out of North Carolina State University.

The Washington Nationals acquired right-handed pitchers Sean Paul Liñan and Eriq Swan from the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for outfielder Alex Call on Thursday. Nationals Interim General Manager Mike DeBartolo made the announcement.

Liñan, 20, is Los Angeles’ №19 prospect, according to Baseball America and its №20 prospect, per MLBPipeline.com. He ranked third in the Dodgers’ system with 101 strikeouts in 74.1 innings pitched this season. He went 3–3 with a 2.78 ERA, a 1.09 WHIP and a .186 opponents’ batting average in 18 games (14 starts) between Single-A Rancho Cucamonga, High-A Great Lakes and Triple-A Oklahoma City in 2025 — his fourth professional season.

Liñan opened the season by striking out at least 10 batters in three of his first four outings. He went 2–1 with a 0.87 ERA (2 ER/20.2 IP), 40 strikeouts, four walks and a .116 opponents’ average (8-for-69) in those first four outings with Rancho Cucamonga on his way to being named California League Pitcher of the Month in April.

A native of Cartagena, Colombia, Liñan signed with Los Angeles as an international free agent on January 15, 2022. He has recorded 11.9 strikeouts per 9.0 innings, a 3.51 strikeout-to-walk ratio and a 3.73 career ERA in 50 professional outings (25 starts). Liñan went 10–4 with a 4.39 ERA and 138 strikeouts in a combined 106.2 innings across the 2023 and 2024 seasons.

Swan, 23, is the Dodgers №16 prospect according to MLBPipeline.com and №24 prospect according to Baseball America. He ranks seventh in the Dodgers Minor League system with 69.0 innings pitched and tied for seventh with 77 strikeouts this season. Overall, he is 4–3 with a 4.43 ERA and a .198 opponents’ average in 16 games (14 starts) for High-A Great Lakes this season.

The inevitable for first baseman Ryan O’Hearn became reality today.

The Orioles traded O’Hearn and outfielder Ramón Laureano to the Padres, an industry source confirmed. Six players are believed to be coming back to the Orioles, with The Athletic reporting the inclusion of left-hander Boston Bateman and infielder Brandon Butterworth.

A summer that brought O’Hearn’s first All-Star appearance, as the designated hitter for the American League, is changing his life again. And Laureano lasted only a half-season after signing a $4 million deal with a $6.5 million option.

Bateman was the No. 4 prospect in San Diego’s system, according to MLB Pipeline’s rankings, after his selection in the second round of the 2024 draft out of Adolfo Camarillo High School. He gets noticed for being 6-foot-8 and 240 pounds, but also a 60-grade curveball and upper-90s fastball. He’s posted a 4.08 ERA and 1.317 WHIP in 15 starts in his first professional season, with 75 strikeouts in 68 1/3 innings.

Butterworth, 22, was a 12^th-round pick last year out of North Carolina State. He’s hitting .267/.327/.455 with 17 doubles, seven triples, 11 home runs and 46 RBIs in 89 games with High-A Fort Wayne. He plays second and third base, but also has some experience in center field and left field.