00:00The MLB trade deadline is looming.
00:03It's August 3rd.
00:04So the Nats made some waves by dealing Curtis Mead
00:10to the Boston Red Sox for young starting pitching.
00:15They get Conley Early, a lefty who's 24 years old.
00:20So the Nats swap a bat for an arm prior to the trade deadline.
00:26Curtis Mead was a really good story.
00:28He was a guy who was just basically picked up off the scrap heap.
00:34And he was really productive offensively for the Nats.
00:37Yep, and Boston is...
00:38Boston needed some pop in their lineup.
00:40They've been winning a lot of games, so they've been doing it,
00:43scoring four, five, six runs, not just killing the scoreboard.
00:47But their pitching's been unbelievable.
00:50But they've got two bats that have been hurt.
00:52Roman Anthony's been out since May.
00:55He's one of their best hitters.
00:56Trevor Story's been out for, I don't know, he's only played about 40 games.
00:59He's been out a while.
01:00So they needed another bat in that lineup.
01:02I don't know.
01:03They might just use him as a DH.
01:06They certainly didn't trade for him for his defense at 3rd.
01:09They traded for his bat.
01:11Conley Early is kind of a great story because he's sort of a local kid.
01:14I mean, he's from the Richmond area.
01:15He went to UVA.
01:17But he pitched really well in spring training for the Red Sox.
01:22Made the starting roster, opening day roster, and the starting rotation.
01:26And was really having a good year.
01:28One of their best pitchers until he had a little inflammation in his elbow.
01:33I think it's a good trade.
01:35Seems like.
01:35I mean, CBSSports.com did a quick breakdown of the timeline as far as Meade getting picked up and then
01:41dealt.
01:41So Meade was dealt for last year's 6th round pick, Boston Smith, on March 28th.
01:48Then from March 31st to July 25th, Meade puts up an 8-5-2 OPS and a 1.5-1
01:55war for the Nats.
01:57Then Meade gets traded for Baseball America's No. 56 overall prospect coming into 2026.
02:04So that's really good work by Toboni and his staff.
02:09You take an asset that nobody really valued or cared about in Meade, showcase him for multiple months.
02:17And you get a starting pitcher for him.
02:18And you get a young starting arm in return.
02:20Yeah, I mean, I think they'll have control for early for another three or four years.
02:25I think it's through 2031.
02:26Through 31.
02:27Yeah, so that's quite a while.
02:28Yeah.
02:28And then they have Brady House, who's just been sitting there.
02:31And I called him up because he's basically crushing in AAA.
02:35And everybody knows he's a big league player.
02:37And he'll just fit right in.
02:38And maybe he won't have the power that Meade had showed.
02:41But that was kind of weird for Meade anyway.
02:44So I think, yeah, it looks like a great deal.
02:46Now, they may not get him for a few weeks.
02:48But I saw Toboni being interviewed.
02:50And unless he's lying, I mean, he does expect him to contribute and pitch this year.
02:55He's on the 15-day IL.
02:57And I think it sounds like he's going to start on a rehab stint next week.
03:02So hopefully by the second week of August, they can get him in the rotation.
03:04Yeah, that would be great.
03:05But it's really a long-term move, too.
03:08And it could be a short-term move.
03:11Remember when we had him on the show last week, I was trying to wrap my head around it.
03:15But he was saying we could be buyers and sellers and still improve this year.
03:20And so I think this is kind of a classic example of that.
03:23Yeah.
03:24So, yeah, seems like a really, really good move.
03:26This was just like one of those moves that was just really good for both teams
03:29because the Red Sox needed a bat.
03:32And obviously the Nats need some young starting pitching.
03:36Now, they need some bullpen help, too.
03:38But to get a starting pitcher is pretty critical
03:41because we don't know what's going to happen with Foster Griffin.
03:43But it sure seems like they may move him.
03:45I saw a report that they did talk.
03:47They did exchange maybe some early contract stuff, but they weren't close.
03:56So it kind of seems like, I don't know, when's the deadline?
03:59How many more days away?
03:59August 3rd.
04:00So we're a week away from the deadline.
04:03It doesn't sound great.
04:05I mean, you know, they'll get something.
04:08I'm sure they'll get something decent in return.
04:09But it sounds like this might be it.
04:12Part of the breakdown.
04:14That's my guess.
04:14You mean for Foster?
04:15For Foster here.
04:16Could be.
04:17I mean, part of the breakdown on CBSSports.com says
04:19that's really incredible work by Nationals President of Baseball Ops,
04:23Paul Tabone, and Assistant GM, Devin Pearson,
04:26both of whom came over from the Red Sox.
04:29Meade was essentially found money.
04:31He was a low-cost pickup who they leveled up
04:34and then turned into a quality young starter.
04:37You're not supposed to turn waiver bait into a good young pitcher in four months.
04:42Yeah.
04:43So you have to be happy with what the front office did.
04:46Of course.
04:47I think it's a good deal.
04:48I really do.
04:49It's a seemingly good deal for the fans.
04:50It's not like you have a hole at third base.
04:52Especially with House being available.
04:54Yeah.
04:55Now House has to get better defensively.
04:57But Meade was very good defensively.
04:59Meade was not good defensively either.
05:00He wasn't.
05:01But that's the reason House was kind of dropped down back to the minors.
05:04But if he gets better defensively, and they say that he did in the last few weeks,
05:10then you don't have a hole at third base.
05:12And you pick up a young, kind of a stud lefty pitcher who was throwing the ball really well
05:19until he got injured.
05:21Now the doctors say it's not anything serious.
05:23He'll be able to go back out there August 3rd for a rehab assignment.
05:26And hopefully he's ready by, I don't know, August 10th or so.
05:29You always worry when they say elbow trouble, but they say it's not his ulnar nerve,
05:33which is what everyone freaks out about because that's what leads to Tommy John.
05:37It's like on the outside of the elbow, not the inside, I guess.
05:41I think I have that correct.
05:42The thing I will be kind of perturbed by is if they deal CJ.
05:46I just don't think they're going to.
05:47And the Yankees are very interested, and they've been talking to the Yankees.
05:51Well, if they do, they're going to get a massive hole.
05:54They're going to get a massive hole.
05:55I just don't.
05:56Two more home runs yesterday.
05:57I just don't want them to get prospects again because you trade Soto for prospects.
06:02And two of those, first of all, two of those prospects are gone
06:05because Gore's gone and Hassel's gone.
06:08The other two prospects you got are studs.
06:11Yeah, Abrams and Wood.
06:12Yeah.
06:13Now you control Wood for a few more years.
06:15Abrams a little bit less, but I don't know.
06:19I don't know why you trade a guy like Soto for a bunch of prospects
06:23and then you trade the prospects.
06:25Well, because they didn't.
06:27Because then you're going to get more prospects.
06:29Well, they knew they could get more from Gore and Hassel.
06:32They're lucky to get anything for him.
06:34But you hit home runs with two of them.
06:36I just think you've got to keep them for at least on the up.
06:39Wood will be here for a few more years.
06:40I think if they were five or six games back in the wild card,
06:43you'd hear much more chatter.
06:45But they're one game back now after what they did this past weekend.
06:48I know.
06:49And that's part.
06:50I just think if you traded CJ Abrams, it would be really bad for the locker room.
06:54Because then you are giving up.
06:58Probably, but they would definitely get a massive haul.
07:02Oh, I'm sure they would.
07:03I mean, he's having an MVP here.
07:04But that just wouldn't help them for the short term.
07:06But Taboni isn't about the short term.
07:08He's about building this thing.
07:09And if you think James Wood is going to sign a long-term deal with the Nats
07:12when they're not trying to win, goodbye, James Wood.
07:17I think they're trying to win.
07:18I mean, he's also a Boris client.
07:19I think they're trying to win, but they're not going to just give up all these future assets
07:24just to make an extra little run this year.
07:27They're going to try to thread the needle.
07:29They are.
07:30And I think acquiring early helps.
07:33But make a couple more additions.
07:35Just don't trade CJ.
07:38Just don't do it.
07:38I think they're going to trade Foster Griffin, though.
07:40If I had to bet money, I would say it sounds like they're going to trade.
07:43That they had initial costs.
07:44Okay, so maybe Early takes his spot in the rotation once he's back.
07:49I guess they're going to get Jake Irvin back soon.
07:51They'll get Jake Irvin.
07:53Offensively, yesterday, CJ and James were just awesome.
07:58Six of the ten RBIs from those two players.
08:01They were just incredible.
08:02The first home run that CJ hit was about a foot off the ground
08:06and hit it to left center.
08:07Just crushed it.
08:10And Wood did the same thing.
08:11Wood hit an opposite field home run.
08:12That's what he specializes in.
08:14But they were just killing the ball in a huge series
08:17because you're chasing Arizona.
08:19Now you've got a bad Toronto team coming in
08:23who's not going to make the playoffs.
08:24Take advantage of that before you have to go on the road
08:26to play Atlanta and Philly.
08:29So, I don't know.
08:30Nats are taking calls on CJ, but hopefully they don't deal him.
08:33Oh, look.
08:34Max Scherzer taking the mound for the Blue Jays.
08:36Scherzer pitches.
08:37I saw that.
08:38He just came off the aisle.
08:39Old school feels that Scherzer coming back.
08:41He's going to pitch forever.
08:43Is he like 39 or 40 at this point?
08:45Oh, he's 41.
08:46Yeah.
08:47He's 41.
08:48I'm telling you, dude.
08:49He's just going to pitch forever.
08:50He just loves it.
08:51He just loves it.
08:52Well, he's got a 10.2 ERA.
08:54I don't know if he's going to pitch forever.
08:55This is it.
08:56This is his probably last appearance.
08:58I mean, at Nats Park.
08:59Yeah.
08:59So, that's why a lot of people, I think, are going.
09:01That makes sense.
09:03Go see Max one last time.
09:04One last look at Max.
09:05One last go around.
09:06But just beat him.
09:07Beat Max.
09:07I mean, he's going to get a big pop at the park tonight.
09:10He's going to get a big one.
09:12I would think.
09:13I mean.
09:14Right?
09:15Yeah, I would think.
09:16People love him.
09:17He's going to get a standing ovation at Nats Park.
09:19I don't know.
09:19For sure.
09:21100%.
09:21I don't know.
09:22You don't think he is?
09:23I think people love him, but it's been a few years.
09:25Oh, he's getting a standing o'er tonight.
09:27Weren't you the one that was, like, really upset?
09:29Oh, yeah, totally.
09:30He went to another team, and he'll always be a national and all this.
09:33Yeah, yeah.
09:34Cakes, he's the ops now.
09:36He's the.
09:37Yeah.
09:37It's just been a few years.
09:38Yeah.
09:39That's all.
09:39I've seen a pitch for, like, 10 different teams.
09:41But I think people, like, they look at Max different than they look at, like, Bryce Harper.
09:45A lot of people still boo Bryce Harper when he comes in at Nats Park.
09:48No, definitely.
09:49People don't have animosity towards Max.
09:51They don't have that.
09:51There's no animosity.
09:52No.
09:53I'm just saying.
09:54He's just been back with so many different teams now.
09:57But, yeah.
09:57I mean, sure.
09:58Certainly he'll get a pop.
09:59Will he get a full standing O from everybody?
10:01Yeah, maybe.
10:01I think he will.
10:02From some, yeah.
10:04Certainly from the majority of the O.
10:06They'll pay their respects to Max tonight.
10:07The majority of the fans will give him a standing O.
10:09Yeah.
10:09Because they helped win a ring.
10:11I mean, if Bryce Harper did the same thing, he'd get standing O's when he came out.
10:14Now, they'll be pulling for the Nats to beat the Blue Jays' asses.
10:17But they'll give Max his respect out at Nats Park tonight, I would think.
10:22Yeah.
10:22All right.
10:23When we come back, veterans report for training camp today for the Washington Commanders.
10:28Training camp is on.
10:30We are bringing back Hit the Skins.
10:31We'll give you the latest from the Commanders next here on The Fan.
10:34We'll give you the latest from the Commanders next here on The Fan.
