Andrew Flax

My fellow UPenn grad! Let’s go Quakers!

I have a new post today breaking down the Nats trade deadline including who has a chance to be in Washington soon and if there's anything we can learn about the new front office. nextyeardc.com/post/TradeDe...

It would go crazy if BlueSky had any sort of functioning Discover page so I don't have to be on my phone 24/7 to see if someone I follow says something interesting.

i’d say the most relevant piece of news we got today in terms of the nats’ future was the fact that the lerners felt the need to defer a one year, $6 mil contract over three years

The skinny:

- Swan is a huge dude with electric stuff who is a shortstop convert. Typical guy with great arm who doesn't throw enough strikes.

- Linan has posted great numbers with one of the best changeups in all of the minors.

Both at High A though Linan seems due for a jump. Great work here.

I really, really like this deal. Probably the biggest return they've gotten for anyone so far this deadline. Swan is new to pitching and has issues with injuries and control, but he has absolutely massive stuff. Liñan has a killer changeup but everything else is meh.

New Nationals OF Christian Franklin deserves a 40-man spot this offseason after going unprotected last year. Good swing decisions. 106.7 90th-percentile exit velocity at Triple-A. (That's Cal Raleigh/Randy Arozarena/Wyatt Langford territory in MLB, btw.) Just hits the ball on the ground a bunch.

Franklin profiles as a fourth-outfielder type. He was left unprotected in the Rule 5 draft this offseason and wasn't picked. He gets on base and hits the ball hard, but with a low launch angle. He's performed everywhere he's gone but turns 26 in November.

Cruz was a third-rounder last year. He's super young (still 18 this year) and had a 91 wRC+ in the complex league. Reviews are positive on the glove and power, but there are questions about the hit tool (though he struck out just 18% of the time this season).

Cruz is probably the prize here -- #13 in the system per MLB Pipeline and #17 per BA. Franklin is 14th per MLB Pipeline but not in the BA top 30, so...

OK fine, I'll guess: RHP Ryan Gallagher. SP with good results who doesn't throw hard but has good fastball shape seems like the kind of guy they'd like (because it's like Jake Eder but better).

Plus!

Total guess on the return: I don't know. Don't ask me.

Trade breakdown:

Angels: Receive two guys the Nationals signed for free
Nationals: Receive a guy the Angels got for cash and a 12th round draft pick

Kind of a zero for zero trade.

I'm saying!

Robert Hassell III deserves some run in the majors after the deadline. Since getting sent back to AAA, he's hitting .331/.430/.512, with almost as many walks (22) as strikeouts (23).

IMO this should have zero bearing on a Gore trade. If you believed the Nationals were contending in 2027 solely because of a 21 year old in High A, you were too optimistic.

It has never been more over

That contract has 8.5 years left on it! Too rich for my blood, though I do really like the salary dump idea. I'd rather get paid to take on Stanton from the Yankees.

This is extremely good, and would be worth the (free) price of admission just to relive the Nyjer Morgan glove spike.

Highly recommend this newsletter to all four of my followers.

WFCG #2: Nationals Trade Deadline Preview What could they get for MacKenzie Gore? And which former Nat is now a dentist?

Now live: My Nationals trade deadline preview. Who's going and who's staying? And what could they get for MacKenzie Gore? wfcg.substack.com/p/wfcg-2-nat...

Waiting for Christian Garcia | Andrew Flax | Substack Analysis, reflections, and inanity about the Washington Nationals from a former credentialed reporter. Click to read Waiting for Christian Garcia, by Andrew Flax, a Substack publication with hundreds ...

Next newsletter is in the hopper for tomorrow morning, previewing the Nationals' trade deadline. Subscribe to get it in your inbox! wfcg.substack.com

Is the light turning on for Cristhian Vaquero? He's up to a .259/.340/.402 slash at Low A, good for a 116 wRC+. He's slashed his K rate from 34% last year to under 25% this year.

In his last 25 games, he's hitting .333/.376/.552 with a 20% K rate. He's still only 20.

Beeter and Martinez are both probably in the 25-40 range of the Nats' prospect list, with Beeter close to the top of that range. Fine work to get two lottery tickets for a short-side platoon bat.

I am a proud alumnus of Browm Umiversity.

Beeter was a 2nd-rounder back in 2020, and was traded from the Dodgers to the Yankees in 2022 for (Nats legend) Joey Gallo. Martinez signed for $130k in 2024; he's in the speedy CF mold. He's tearing the league up, but he's old for the level. I'd like to see him in the FCL.

Nice deal. Beeter is a 40-man reliever who has big stuff but struggles with control (7 BB/9 at AAA). Martinez is an 18-year-old OF who's crushing the Dominical Summer League right now.

Waiting for Christian Garcia #1: What the 2025 Draft Tells Us About the Post-Rizzo Era Featuring Clint Robinson, Marconi German, and more

Now that the Nationals have signed all the draft picks they're going to sign, ICYMI: I wrote up a review of the Nationals' draft and how their tendencies have changed (or haven't) in the post-Rizzo era. wfcg.substack.com/p/waiting-fo...

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