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The MLB trade deadline is less than two weeks away and the Nationals have a big decision to make. Barry Svrluga tells us why Washington should make some moves ahead of the trade deadline.
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00:00What's up, Barry? Good morning.
00:02Happy summer, guys. Hope you're doing well.
00:04Yeah, we're doing well.
00:05Happy summer to you.
00:06So before we get into the Nationals, we kicked this around a bit earlier.
00:11Yesterday was the three-year anniversary of the Josh Harris ownership
00:15takeover of the Washington Commanders.
00:17I'm not going to lead the witness.
00:18How would you grade the ownership reign through three seasons for Harris and his group?
00:26I'd hang it right between an A- and a B+, probably.
00:30With a big TBD on the season to come, I think getting the stadium done is a huge plus
00:38because every time I drive out to Northwest Stadium, I can think this is the 20th to last time I
00:46have to do this.
00:47That's a giant leap.
00:48But I also think football-wise, at this point last year, you would have said,
00:53oh, it's an A. A across the board.
00:55They're trying to make the fan experience better, and they made home run hires in Adam Peters and Dan Quinn,
00:59and they have Jaden Daniels on board.
01:01It feels a little less on solid ground headed into the 2026 season.
01:06But every time you say that Dan Snyder doesn't own the team anymore,
01:10that's a step in the right direction to start with.
01:14Yeah, you get bonus points for that alone.
01:18All right, so I want to touch on the Nats, and obviously we've been kicking on the pending trade deadline
01:25and trying to add to this team since it's become so apparent that they are challenged with their pitching,
01:31especially their bullpen.
01:33We have Timoney on every week.
01:34He's great.
01:35And I think he's being as honest as a guy can be in his position that, you know, the market
01:41isn't there right yet.
01:42They can't quite pull the trigger.
01:44But they have some guys that other teams are interested in,
01:48and I know you've written or at least thrown out there the idea of, hey,
01:53instead of just letting Foster Griffin go, who's been like maybe one of the great stories here of the last
01:58few years,
01:59why don't they actually potentially re-sign him for a couple years?
02:02And I'm with you.
02:03I think that's the kind of move we need to do.
02:05We got like one pitcher other than him.
02:08We're going to let him go?
02:09It seems crazy.
02:11My point with him is this is a guy who, you know, was a number one pick,
02:18but then had to work his way through the wilderness and go to Japan and take his seven pitches over
02:24there
02:25and figure it out just to get a chance to come back and get the shot that he got with
02:29a team that was supposed to be terrible this year.
02:31He turned it into an all-star appearance.
02:34He backed that up with his first start out of the all-star game, being brilliant and helping them win
02:40a series against the A's.
02:43My point with him is why not go to him now?
02:46If you think what you're seeing is real and now it's, you know, more than half a season,
02:50why don't you say to him, hey, Foster, here's three years at $15 million per or whatever.
03:00Pick a number, $17 million if you think he's that good.
03:02Is a guy who's been through what he's been through really going to say, you know what?
03:08At age 30, I'm going to bet on myself and get the big, you know, six-year contract based off
03:13one season.
03:14I don't see it.
03:15I think that's one where you could be really, really smart in managing your assets by saying,
03:21we stumbled onto something, or not stumbled, like we did our research and we thought this kid had a shot.
03:26We had a home run.
03:27He made the best of that chance.
03:31Isn't there a way that this could mutually benefit us by giving him not like Max Scherzer money,
03:38but real money that could put his family up for the rest of their lives
03:43and have him not be what he is for this team, like effectively the number two starter,
03:49but on a good team, be the fourth or fifth reliable starter in those years of,
03:55that now look like they could be competitive years, 2027, certainly 28, 29.
04:00That's when you're looking to be competitive by not just like what they are now on the field,
04:05which is competitive every night, but hopefully competitive financially,
04:09where you're putting together a real bullpen because you're spending on it.
04:12I just think that's one where now's the time to be, put the trade deadline aside.
04:17Like you don't really, you know, he would be really coveted if you were in a tailspin
04:21and somebody gets a half a season of a really effective starting pitcher.
04:25I think you could be, you know, be aggressive and say,
04:29no, you made good on the bet we put on you.
04:33Let's set you up for your financial future and for our competitive future.
04:37The only thing I can guess if they don't do something like that
04:40is that it would be very Wizards-like in a sense that like kind of when they got rid of
04:46Denny,
04:46that while we're ready for them to compete and win and everything, it's a little early.
04:51And on their timeline, it's a little early.
04:54And then, and they're not ready to sort of go.
04:56That's what, that's the only way I can maybe them justify not doing that.
05:00Yeah, sure.
05:01And I understand that.
05:02Or if you think, holy cow, he's kind of done this with smoke and mirrors
05:06and this is not sustainable over three seasons.
05:09Cause he's not a, he's not a big velocity guy.
05:11Like he is fooling people and you wonder, you know, as guys get a look at him,
05:18you know, three or four or five times, does it, does it hold up?
05:21I don't know.
05:21I just think it's a low risk, good faith would play to the fans move.
05:29That you're right, Eric.
05:30Like, is it a little quick to compete in 2027 or 26?
05:35Absolutely.
05:35They're doing it on a nightly basis.
05:37It's been really impressive and fun, but you can't tell me,
05:41that what they've seen from the core offensively and how they manage and
05:46produce runs on a nightly basis by, you know, platooning at Chaparro,
05:51who's just like, no one thinks anything of him.
05:53And, but like you put them in advantageous situations and he's going to be able
05:58to succeed.
05:59Yeah.
05:59Yeah.
05:59He'll just, he'll kill you.
06:01So they're doing that on a nightly basis.
06:03Take a more talented,
06:04more expensive roster and use those same principles in 2027, 28, 29.
06:10And have Foster Griffin be a part of that.
06:13Like, how are you not going to be competitive given what you've seen through
06:16a hundred games so far?
06:17And why do you think they had Garcia batting so low yesterday?
06:20You know, I mean, I was looking at that and it's just,
06:24there has got to be a computer formula that Ronnie uses that it like spits out a
06:33lot of suggested lineup.
06:34And then they,
06:36they batted around a little bit because they've had, you know,
06:39there was a game earlier this year.
06:41It was a way early when drew Millis hit second.
06:43Like that's not,
06:44there's no world where that makes any sense unless some machine is telling you
06:49that.
06:49I will say that as good as Louie Garcia has been and what a revelation he's,
06:56he's been,
06:57and he's helped them be,
06:59you know,
07:00essentially the best offense in baseball,
07:01which I still,
07:02every time I say that,
07:03it sounds like it's a fraudulent thing to say,
07:05but it's,
07:06again,
07:06it's a hundred games.
07:07They've scored more runs than anybody.
07:08Like how else do you evaluate it?
07:11Part of the reason he's had such a renaissance is because.
07:16Blake,
07:16you Tara hides him against tough left-handed pitching.
07:20And so you're he's facing Kyle Freeman.
07:24Like you're not going to hit him second and,
07:26and get him,
07:26you know,
07:27more reps against a lefty in M eight.
07:31He's been,
07:32he's been great.
07:32Like I think Louie deserves a lot of credit because he's been so much better
07:37with his swing decisions,
07:38but I think the coaching staff and do Tara deserve credit because they've
07:44knocked that into his silly little head.
07:46And he's been a goofball for a lot of his time here.
07:48Um,
07:49but also they have done stuff like,
07:52Hey,
07:52we're not going to pretend you're someone you're not.
07:54We're facing a tough lefty.
07:55Like you're not going to hit third,
07:57you know?
07:57Right.
07:57Yeah.
07:58It makes sense.
07:58I,
07:59and I said yesterday,
08:00Barry,
08:01that I would be very disappointed if to Boney didn't make a couple of moves
08:06because I mean,
08:07they're right in it.
08:08I mean,
08:08we've played 110 games and they're one game back.
08:13I mean,
08:13I understand there's five teams within one,
08:15with one,
08:16one game in the wildcard.
08:17So,
08:18um,
08:18you know,
08:19you got to root for teams to lose every single night,
08:21but they're right in it.
08:22And I'd be very disappointed if they didn't make a couple of additions,
08:26preferably in the bullpen,
08:28maybe a starter.
08:29Now you're not going to get like a Chapman or all this Chapman now,
08:32because the Sox have won a hundred in a row.
08:33So he's not going anywhere,
08:34but they just need a couple of pieces just to show the fans,
08:38Hey,
08:38we're not messing around.
08:39We're not kind of mini tanking for next year.
08:42We're trying to win a wildcard spot this year.
08:45I would be very disappointed if they didn't.
08:47You know,
08:48I think,
08:48and it'll be really interesting when you have to money on tomorrow,
08:51because now we're really close to the deadline.
08:54My conversations with people over there,
08:57you know,
08:57going back weeks is like,
09:00everything's TBD.
09:01Like if they,
09:02you know,
09:03a month ago,
09:04if they had been lost,
09:06you know,
09:0612 of 14,
09:08well,
09:08I think the plan would become obvious.
09:10If they had won 12 of 14,
09:12the plan would become obvious.
09:13I think the way I think of it is their pitching is not good enough for them to
09:18go on a heater like the Red Sox are on right now,
09:20but their offense is too good for them to go on a tailspin.
09:27And like the Marlins are on right now,
09:28they've lost seven in a row.
09:29Right.
09:30So they're,
09:31they're kind of in this,
09:32like,
09:32well,
09:33we,
09:33we win two of three from the A's you know,
09:37maybe they win two of three from the Rockies or sweep who,
09:40who knows they're just doing it by increments.
09:43Right.
09:43And that makes it,
09:44it's just made it hard on the front office to figure out an absolute
09:49direction.
09:49I think you're right,
09:52Jason,
09:52that at this point,
09:54unless something goes haywire in the next 10 days,
09:57like they are on the cusp of really playing meaningful baseball in,
10:02in August and July.
10:04And while I would not recommend this team do it all in,
10:08like give up pieces that they think will impact their future to get a couple
10:14of relievers.
10:14Like that's probably not the move.
10:16I do think there are ways to be creative about it.
10:20One that I've knocked around and I haven't written this,
10:22but I think it's interesting to think about is like Jacob Young is a valuable
10:27player on a good team.
10:28Like he's probably never going to hit enough where you're going to be like,
10:33wow,
10:33he's,
10:33you know,
10:34he's a top of a order bat,
10:35but he plays gold glove caliber center field.
10:39That's a real commodity for a contender.
10:41Who's trying to prevent runs.
10:43And you,
10:44he's,
10:44he has enough pop.
10:46He's found enough in his swing where a good team could hit him ninth every
10:51night.
10:52And he'd be an asset for you.
10:54He'd,
10:54he'd be a plus player defensively,
10:56and he'd probably be a flat player.
10:59Offensively.
11:00What could you get from him for him in the bullpen in terms of a controllable
11:06reliever?
11:07And I think that any addition that to Boney in the front office makes,
11:10it's not,
11:11it can't be a rent a guy like that.
11:14This is not just about 2026.
11:17I think you'd want to do a trade for a guy like the,
11:22the relievers that they traded away,
11:24like Jose for air that,
11:26that wasn't just about 2026.
11:27That trade hurts because,
11:30because he's controllable into the future.
11:33Can you get one of those guys back that would help this team prevent runs in
11:39August and September when they're playing meaningful baseball,
11:42but also be a piece of what you would hope would be a rebuilt bullpen over the
11:47off season.
11:48Talking to Barry Verluga who covers DC sports for the athletic switching gears.
11:53I know you're a golf guy.
11:55Where do you stand on this Bryson DeChambeau,
11:58Rory McIlroy feud and everything that went down at the British open.
12:03So I'm never going to criticize a guy for being honest in a press conference.
12:10And that's what Rory was.
12:12It's like,
12:12this is ridiculous.
12:12Like you're holding up the golf tournament because Bryson's out there stomping
12:17around on the fifth hole.
12:18I love that there's tension between those two.
12:21Like I think rivalries and stats and in golf are make it,
12:26you know,
12:27and make,
12:27it makes it fun.
12:28I mean,
12:28Brooks Koepka and Bryson had that a few years ago.
12:32There was real tension.
12:33I've I'm a Rory Stan.
12:35Like I know he can be annoying,
12:37but I,
12:38I just love watching him play.
12:40And I love that he expresses exactly what,
12:43what he thinks and doesn't hold back.
12:46I do think Bryson just has a way and both of them,
12:50to be honest,
12:51have a way of making it about them all the time.
12:53It just kind of spins around and they,
12:57they be,
12:57it's hard for them not to be a storyline.
13:00So that was a,
13:02just a wild scene with going out there and recreating what happened and Bryson
13:07gesturing like that.
13:08It's just,
13:09I don't remember something like that where you're,
13:12you're going back to the point of a,
13:14of an incident and trying to say,
13:16this is,
13:17this is what happened.
13:17And I also think,
13:19you know,
13:19I do think that it looked like Bryson took an extra hard,
13:24heavy stop to kind of get that all that fescue down and,
13:28and,
13:28and create a little bit better swing for him.
13:30But that was,
13:31that was a wild moment.
13:32Barry,
13:33have a great rest of your summer training camp is here.
13:35We know you're going to be super busy,
13:36so we appreciate the time.
13:38Good talking to you.
13:40Talk to you guys soon.
13:41Have a good one.
13:41Thank you,
13:41buddy.
13:42There is Riluga covers DC sports for the athletic.
13:45When we come back,
13:46we're going to do two things.
13:47One,
13:48we're going to do EB's entertainment page to,
13:50before he starts the entertainment page,
13:52we'll give you a chance to win tickets to go see OAR when they come into
13:56Merriweather post this Friday,
13:58July 24th.
14:00So keep listening for your chance to win.
14:01And it's coming up when we come back.
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