Not long after Mike Rizzo was fired but long before Paul Toboni took over baseball operations, the Nationals made a flurry of significant transactions this summer. When it came time for baseball’s annual trade deadline, it was Mike DeBartolo calling the shots as interim general manager, entrusted to make several moves of consequence only weeks after being put in charge of the organization during a time of unexpected upheaval.
DeBartolo wound up making five deals before the July 31 deadline. Those included the departures of six veterans and the acquisitions of 10 prospects. Only one of those returning players has appeared in a Nats uniform in the big leagues so far, but a number of the others could move into the picture soon enough.
It’ll be up to Toboni to decide who gets a shot, and when they’ll get that shot. But for now, it’s worth revisiting the trades DeBartolo made and evaluating what the Nationals emerged with from those deals. …
AMED ROSARIO TO YANKEES FOR CLAYTON BEETER, BROWM MARTINEZ
DeBartolo’s first trade came five days before the deadline, with the veteran infielder dealt to the Bronx for one big-league-ready reliever and one 19-year-old outfielder who has a long way to go. Rosario batted .303 (10-for-33) with a .788 OPS in 16 games for the Yankees. Beeter went to Triple-A Rochester for a week before getting called up to D.C., where he quickly ascended into a prime role in the bullpen. With a devastating slider, he delivered a 2.49 ERA, 1.015 WHIP and 32 strikeouts in only 21 2/3 innings. The only downside: He walked 14 batters, unable to command his fastball enough. Martinez, meanwhile, is still waiting to make his organizational debut, whether in the Dominican Republic (where he played the last two seasons with the Yankees) or in West Palm Beach with the Florida Complex League rookie squad.
ANDREW CHAFIN, LUIS GARCIA TO ANGELS FOR SAM BROWN, JAKE EDER
DeBartolo packaged two veteran relievers picked up midseason to an Angels team that was barely on the fringes of a pennant race and came away with a 24-year-old corner outfielder/first baseman and a 27-year-old lefty with a little bit of MLB experience. Chafin and Garcia were both good but were far from enough to lift the Angels out of last place in the AL West. Brown, meanwhile, slashed a solid .307/.384/.472 with 13 extra-base hits and 17 RBIs in 35 games with Double-A Harrisburg. Eder, who made eight relief appearances for Los Angeles this season, started one game for Harrisburg (two scoreless innings) and two games for Rochester (seven runs in five innings) following the trade. He’s currently on the 40-man roster, will be in big league camp and could work his way into the mix with a decent start to his 2026 campaign at Triple-A.
ALEX CALL TO DODGERS FOR SEAN PAUL LINAN, ERIQ SWAN
The only player DeBartolo traded who wasn’t a pending free agent was the gritty backup outfielder who wasn’t going to get much playing time here in the long run but wound up getting a chance to contribute to a World Series champion. In return, the Nationals received two young – but potentially promising – right-handers. Liñan, 21, is the more intriguing of the two; he made only one start for Single-A Wilmington but struck out five in three innings. Then he was sent to the Arizona Fall League and struck out six (while allowing only one run on one hit) in five innings against much older prospects. He’s a long-term project, but one worth keeping an eye on. Swan, 24, also struck out more batters (25) than innings pitched (22 2/3) at Wilmington, but he issued 17 walks in that same span.
KYLE FINNEGAN TO TIGERS FOR JOSH RANDALL, R.J. SALES
Reinvigorated – and encouraged to use his splitter more – in Detroit, Finnegan became a big part of the Tigers’ postseason bullpen before becoming a free agent. The Nats received two pitching prospects in exchange, with Sales standing out more than his counterpart so far. The 22-year-old (just drafted out of North Carolina in 2024) had a 3.18 ERA and 37 strikeouts in 28 1/3 innings for Single-A Fredericksburg, picking up where he left off with the Tigers’ low-A affiliate. Randall, also a 2024 draftee, pitched a level up in Wilmington and struggled to a 6.44 ERA while posting a strong 26-to-5 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
MICHAEL SOROKA TO CUBS FOR RONNY CRUZ, CHRISTIAN FRANKLIN
The Cubs took a chance on the oft-injured Soroka and paid the price when he immediately went on the IL with a shoulder problem. He pitched only 8 1/3 regular season innings for them, plus a couple of postseason relief appearances (one of which was a disaster). The Nationals were very happy with the return they got, especially Franklin, a 26-year-old outfielder who slashed .290/.382/.427 in 31 games at Rochester and was added to the 40-man roster last month. Cruz, a 19-year-old infielder, played 48 games for the Cubs’ Arizona Complex League team but didn’t play after the trade. He’s young and raw, but Chicago thought enough of him to use its third round pick in the 2024 Draft on him, so there’s clearly potential there.