The month of August is about to wrap up this weekend, which means it’s been a full month since the trade deadline. Which means enough time has passed to start evaluating how trades worked out.

Of course, it takes years to know if a trade truly was worth it or not. But in the Nationals’ case, it’s worth checking in on the results of Mike Rizzo’s four deadline deals to see how they look at this point.

(Spoiler alert: They look pretty good at this early stage of the process.)

HUNTER HARVEY to ROYALS for CAYDEN WALLACE and CALEB LOMAVITA
Rizzo surprised everyone by making this deal 17 days before the July 30 deadline, but there was a good reason for it. He wanted Kansas City’s “Competitive Balance A” pick in the following night’s Draft. So in addition to Wallace, a promising-but-injured third base prospect, the Nationals also got the No. 39 pick, which they used on Lomavita, an intriguing catcher from Cal.

Wallace, who was dealing with a fractured rib at the time, just finally made his organizational debut Thursday night, delivering an RBI single and drawing a walk for Single-A Wilmington. He’ll look to finish the season strong and then come to spring training next year trying to move up the organizational ladder.

If Oct. 30, 2019, represented the pinnacle of Patrick Corbin’s career, it arguably also represented the nadir of Gerrit Cole’s career. As the former came out of the bullpen to win Game 7 of the World Series for the Nationals, the latter sat in his bullpen and helplessly watched it all unfold, ostracized for not appearing in what to that point would’ve been the biggest game of his life.

The two pitchers’ careers have gone in completely opposite directions since, with Corbin devolving into the least effective starter in baseball the last five seasons while Cole moved to New York after signing a record deal and won a Cy Young Award. There’s no comparison between them in the years since.

Except on this night, when Corbin rose to a challenge like he perhaps hasn’t since that glorious October night in Houston and Cole looked decidedly human facing a young and hungry lineup that knocked him out after five innings to give the Nationals a most satisfying 4-2 victory.

Behind back-to-back home runs from rookies Andrés Chaparro and José Tena, plus the first two hits and stolen base of Dylan Crews’ career, the Nats opened up a lead on Cole. Corbin (six scoreless innings) and four relievers then did the rest, holding down one of the most feared lineups in the sport in impressive fashion to pull off one of the team's most impressive wins of the year.

"Patrick did an awesome job today going out and giving us a chance to win," said Crews, who caught the final out of his first major league victory. "That's his job, and he executed it perfectly. It was a great crowd today. Our bullpen did an awesome job today, too. Overall, I thought today was awesome. And we won, so it was a great day."

ATLANTA – As he rounded the bases in the top of the second Saturday night, having just connected for his first major league home run, José Tena’s smile could be seen throughout Truist Park. And when he crossed the plate and returned to the dugout, the Nationals’ 23-year-old rookie went right to Luis García Jr. and offered an even wider grin.

“I kept running the bases with a big smile on my face,” Tena said, via interpreter Octavio Martinez. “Thank God for giving me my first opportunity to hit my first home run.”

And thank García for providing Tena with a little extra motivation.

The Nats second baseman is only one year older than Tena, but he’s got 407 more games of big league experience and has taken his new teammate under his wing. And though Tena had been delivering hit after hit since joining the club earlier this month, García jokingly asked him Saturday when he was finally going to hit his first home run.

“I’m so proud of him,” García said with a smile as wide as Tena’s was after the homer.

ATLANTA – Davey Martinez has managed games of far more significance since joining the Nationals in 2018, but since Day One he has treated every single one of them the same way, forever looking just to "go 1-0 today."

So Martinez managed his 1,000th career game with the same goal as any of the previous 999, which meant doing whatever he thought necessary to try to beat the Braves tonight in another tight, low-scoring affair.

That meant pulling starter Jake Irvin after 5 1/3 innings with a pitch count of 83 and entrusting a big moment to Robert Garcia, a move that backfired and ultimately led to the Nats’ 4-2 loss before a sellout crowd at Truist Park.

Pitching for the third straight day, Garcia gave up the game-tying and go-ahead runs during a ragged bottom of the sixth that defined this affair. And when fellow left-hander Joe La Sorsa surrendered an insurance run in the eighth and the Nationals lineup continued to come up short with runners in scoring position (0-for-9), Martinez’s 550th career loss became official.

The Nats also missed out on a second straight opportunity to clinch a season series against the Braves for the first time since 2017. They’re still 6-4 against Atlanta this year, still needing to win one of the final three head-to-head matchups.

PHILADELPHIA – José Tena has returned to the Nationals lineup for tonight’s series opener against the Phillies after missing the two-game set against the Orioles with a thumb injury.

The 23-year-old infielder, who the Nats acquired from the Guardians in the Lane Thomas trade, couldn’t handle a sharp grounder hit right at him in the fourth inning of Sunday’s loss to the Angels. He was struck while trying to turn a double play and had to depart the game with a towel wrapped around his bleeding right thumb.

X-rays were negative, with no broken bones, but the cut on Tena’s thumb was significant enough to keep the young third baseman out of the lineup for the two games in Baltimore.

But now Tena, who became the first player in franchise history with a walk-off hit in his team debut on Saturday, returns to the field at third base while batting eighth at Citizens Bank Park.

“He's good. He's gonna play today,” manager Davey Martinez said during his pregame meeting with the media. “He felt better yesterday, so he's in the lineup today. We'll see how he does.”

BALTIMORE – When the Nationals signed Harold Ramirez to a minor league contract on June 15, then called him up to the majors a week later, the intention was clear: Add a proven big league hitter to a lineup and bench that could use more of them, the kind of bat that could help a team win more games and perhaps even keep itself in a wide-open National League wild card race.

When the Nats designated Ramirez for assignment prior to Tuesday night’s game against the Orioles, the intention was also clear, if dramatically altered from two months prior: It’s time to prioritize young players who may have a future with the organization than older ones who don’t.

It wasn’t so much about Ramirez’s production. The soon-to-be 30-year-old hadn’t been great, but he hadn’t been awful, either. It was about creating a roster spot – and playing time – for Andres Chaparro, a 25-year-old rookie acquired two weeks ago from the Diamondbacks for Dylan Floro who theoretically could figure into the team’s long-term plans.

Chaparro, let’s be clear, is not a top-rated prospect. He was the return for two months of a veteran setup man, not two years of a productive everyday player. But his Triple-A numbers over the last two seasons – a .282/.363/.500 slash line with 51 doubles and 48 homers in 242 games – were hard to ignore.

And given the current state of the Nationals, who are sorely lacking in power, especially from the corner infield positions, it made all the sense in the world to get Chaparro up here now and get an extended look at him.

Anthony Rendon’s long-awaited return to D.C. over the weekend served as a reminder how lucky the Nationals are not to have re-signed one of the stars of the 2019 World Series run, assuming he would’ve experienced the same injuries and drop in production here as he has in Anaheim.

But it also served as a reminder how the Nats have spent the last five years searching in vain for Rendon’s long-term replacement at third base.

A mindboggling 20 different people have played the hot corner for the franchise since 2020. Some (Carter Kieboom, Trey Lipscomb) were supposed to be the future at the position. Some (Jeimer Candelario) were productive stopgaps who were traded at peak value. Some (Starlin Castro, Maikel Franco, Nick Senzel) were unproductive stopgaps who lost all value during their time here. And some (Ildemaro Vargas, Josh Harrison, Asdrubal Cabrera) were and are still quality utilitymen pressed into more regular playing time because of the struggles of others.

What have they all had in common? An inability to seize the job for themselves and ensure the organization no longer needed to find its third baseman of the future.

The Nationals arguably are in no better shape now at third base than they were five years ago. Sure, there’s a highly touted prospect, a former first round pick, waiting to make his major league debut in the near future. But can anyone say with certainty Brady House will be the next Rendon and not the next Kieboom?

The Nationals have played their fair share of back-and-forth games this week. They saw six lead changes over their last four games, some of which included late-inning dramatics and extra frames.

And so here they were again having to battle through another one in their second matchup against the Angels. But although they saw an early lead change swing in their favor, they couldn’t keep the score of this one from flip-flopping. In the end, the Nats were able to come back for a 5-4 walk-off win in 10 innings in front of 22,183 fans at Nationals Park thanks to a new face.

After Derek Law kept it a 4-4 game with a scoreless top of the ninth while closer Kyle Finnegan was unavailable due to an increased workload over the past two games, the heart of the Nats order couldn’t provide a walk-off hit just yet.

So to extras we went yet again, the Nats’ third straight extra-inning game. Law returned to the mound and pitched a perfect 10th, stranding the automatic runner at third.

Because CJ Abrams was out of the starting lineup with a stiff upper back, he was available to pinch-run for Keibert Ruiz as the automatic runner. José Tena, an infield prospect from the Lane Thomas trade with the Guardians who was recalled from Triple-A Rochester before the game, stepped up as the first batter in the bottom of the 10th.

The Washington Nationals recalled infielder José Tena from Triple-A Rochester and reinstated right-handed pitcher Jordan Weems from the 15-day Injured List on Saturday. In corresponding moves, the club optioned right-handed pitcher Joan Adon and infielder Trey Lipscomb to Triple-A Rochester. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcements.

Tena, 23, was one of three players acquired from the Cleveland Guardians in exchange for Lane Thomas on July 29. He joins the Nationals after hitting .287 with 21 doubles, two triples, 18 home runs, 68 RBI, 34 walks, 15 stolen bases and 60 runs scored in 100 games between Triple-A Columbus and Triple-A Rochester. In 10 games with the Red Wings, five of his seven hits went for extra bases (4 2B, HR). Tena has appeared at shortstop (62 G), second base (18 G), third base (17 G) and designated hitter (2 G) this season.

At the time of the trade, Tena (tey-NAH), led Cleveland’s Minor League system with 110 hits and ranked in home runs (2nd, 17), RBI (3rd, 63), extra-base hits (4th, 36), batting average (4th, .298), slugging percentage (6th, .493) and OPS (6th, .846). He is a career .284/.338/.441 hitter with 113 doubles, 22 triples, 58 home runs, 283 RBI, 156 walks, 65 stolen bases and 310 runs scored in 530 games across six Minor League seasons. Tena earned a Rawlings Minor League Gold Glove in 2021 with High-A Lake County.

Tena made his Major League debut on Aug. 5, 2023 and has appeared in 21 games for the Guardians across two seasons (2023-24). He is 7-for-35 (.200) with two doubles, three RBI, three walks and two runs scored along the way. This marks his second Major League stint of the season, having appeared in three games from June 28 to July 3.

Weems, 31, returns to the active roster after being placed on the Injured List on July 26 with shin splints. He is 1-1 with a 6.59 ERA in 40 games out of Washington’s bullpen this season.

As we get closer to the end of the season, it’s that time of year when the Nationals will bring up some new players to give them an extended chance at the major league level to evaluate for 2025.

Today is one of those days where a new, young player is getting his shot.

Before tonight’s game against the Angels, the Nats recalled infielder José Tena from Triple-A Rochester 12 days after he was acquired as one of the three players included in the Lane Thomas trade with the Guardians.

The 23-year-old native of the Dominican Republic entered the Nats system with some big-league experience, hitting .200 with a .520 OPS in 21 games with Cleveland over the last two seasons. But he went straight to Rochester only to force his way back to the bigs.

In 10 games with the Red Wings, five of Tena’s seven hits went for extra bases with four doubles and a home run.

The Nationals are coming off a rough couple of days in which they sat through multiple rain delays with a dramatic comeback only to fall in the 10th inning to the Giants on Thursday then a rare extra-inning win against the Angels on Friday. Last night’s 3-2 win was just the Nats’ fourth in 12 games that have gone to extras, but at least they are no longer tied with the miserable White Sox for last in the majors in such affairs.

Now they turn their attention to tonight’s game. A victory against the Halos on Saturday would give the Nats their second series win in their last three and put them in position for a sweep tomorrow morning. (No, I don’t know why they are keeping tonight’s game as a 6:45 p.m. start before tomorrow’s 11:35 a.m. start nationally on Roku.)

Mitchell Parker was charged with two unearned runs over 6 ⅓ innings last night. A similar outing from Patrick Corbin would be much appreciated tonight, especially with the state of the Nats bullpen up in the air. Yes, Corbin leads the majors with 12 losses this season. And yes, he gave up four early runs in his last outing against the Giants.

But he actually battled back to complete six innings on Monday to give his team a chance. Since the offense only scored one run on the night, Corbin is still left in search of his 100th career win.

The Nats offense would love to get to an early lead against Griffin Canning, who is 4-10 with a 5.10 ERA and 1.414 WHIP in 23 starts this season. With Corbin on the mound and closer Kyle Finnegan likely not available after throwing a combined 57 pitches over the last two nights, the more runs the better off the Angels right-hander.

Everybody in the majors plays roughly the same schedule by season’s end: 81 home games, 81 road games, 52 division games, 64 more intraleague games, 46 interleague games. But the path to get to those eventual totals differs from team to team.

And in the Nationals’ case, there’s been a distinct difference to the 2024 schedule to date: Way more road games than most others.

Wednesday’s series finale in Arizona was the Nats’ 109th game of the season but their 59th road game. No other National League team has played so many games on the road, and only the Yankees (60) have played more in the American League.

The Nationals have been on three separate three-city road trips (San Francisco-Oakland-Los Angeles in April, Boston-Chicago-Philadelphia in May, Colorado-San Diego-Tampa Bay in June). They’ve yet to be rewarded with a homestand of more than two series.

It’s made for an at-times grueling schedule, including the 17-days-in-a-row stretch they had to endure prior to the All-Star break. The good news: It’s finally about to get better.

PHOENIX – Lane Thomas joined the Nationals on the day the organization began to tear down its championship roster and start a massive roster rebuild. Three years later, with the franchise believing its much closer to winning again, he’s heading to another organization right in the thick of a pennant race.

The Nats traded Thomas to the Guardians this afternoon for three prospects, including highly touted 19-year-old left-hander Alex Clemmey, opting to deal one of their coveted regulars who still had another season of club control about 24 hours before Tuesday’s trade deadline.

Along with Clemmey, Cleveland’s 2023 second-round pick and current No. 7 prospect, the Nationals receive 19-year-old infielder Rafael Ramirez Jr. and 23-year-old infielder Jose Tena, who has big league experience and joins the 40-man roster.

It’s a significant haul for the 28-year-old Thomas, who got off to a slow start this season but entered the day batting .253 with eight homers, 40 RBIs, 28 stolen bases and a .738 OPS in 77 games. The outfielder spent the last few days trying to block out trade rumors but wasn’t caught completely off-guard when he was called into manager Davey Martinez’s office at Chase Field about three hours before tonight’s series opener against the Diamondbacks.

“It’s always a little bit of a shock, even when you know they’re looking to do something like that,” Thomas said. “I’ve been in this situation before, so I feel like that makes it a little bit easier. My wife has dealt with it, too. I think we’re ready to go help another team.”