{"id":4413,"date":"2026-07-18T09:07:02","date_gmt":"2026-07-18T09:07:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=4413"},"modified":"2026-07-18T09:07:02","modified_gmt":"2026-07-18T09:07:02","slug":"nationals-trade-hassell-aim-to-bring-up-ford-as-deadline-nears","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=4413","title":{"rendered":"Nationals trade Hassell, aim to bring up Ford as deadline nears"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The Washington Nationals began easing toward next month\u2019s trade deadline on Thursday as they sent outfield prospect Robert Hassell III to the Pittsburgh Pirates, the team announced.<\/p>\n

Read more Abrams means too much to Nationals to be dangled as trade bait<\/a><\/p>\n

The franchise is also expected to promote catcher Harry Ford ahead of Friday\u2019s game against the Athletics, according to multiple reports.<\/p>\n

Washington had designated Hassell, who was once the No. 2 prospect in its farm system, for assignment this month after he struggled to stick at the major league level. The Nationals will acquire cash considerations or a player to be named from Pittsburgh.<\/p>\n

Washington added Ford, the No. 7 prospect in its farm system, according to MLB.com, through an offseason trade with the Seattle Mariners. The Atlanta native has posted a .911 OPS with Triple-A Rochester since June 1.<\/p>\n

He\u2019ll likely replace current Nationals catcher Drew Millas on the active roster. The Nationals sent Millas to the 10-day injured list on Wednesday due to a fracture in his left index finger.<\/p>\n

Ford joins a Nationals squad in need of direction after the All-Star Break. The team went 9-13 the past three weeks, falling to 48-49 and four games back in the NL wild-card race.<\/p>\n

The middling position in the standings leaves President of Baseball Operations Paul Toboni with a series of key decisions as the Aug. 3 trade deadline draws near.<\/p>\n

Will the Nationals sell off productive players to the highest bidder, as they have in recent years? Or will Washington finally focus on postseason contention?<\/p>\n

Manager Blake Butera and players such as James Wood, CJ Abrams and Luis Garcia Jr. have complicated the process. Wood and Abrams were All-Stars, while Garcia posted a .337 average with 13 home runs in his past 30 games.<\/p>\n

They\u2019ve turned the Nationals into an offensive juggernaut. Washington leads the majors with 516 runs scored. No player has crossed home plate more than Wood. Garcia is tied for the MLB lead with 15 homers since June 1.<\/p>\n

But Abrams, who leads NL shortstops in RBIs and home runs, entered the season as the subject of trade rumors. The 25-year-old is signed only through the current season; he\u2019s eligible for arbitration next year and could become a free agent in 2029.<\/p>\n

The lack of team control could put him at odds with the Nationals\u2019 forward-focused timeline. But he\u2019d be an interesting add for teams like the New York Yankees, who want an infield bat.<\/p>\n

\u201cI haven\u2019t really thought about it,\u201d Abrams told the New York Post of the trade rumors. \u201cI\u2019m in D.C., and we\u2019re doing things with the Nationals.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Abrams isn\u2019t even the most-discussed potential trade candidate for the Nationals. Rookie pitcher Foster Griffin has been one of the league\u2019s feel-good stories this year.<\/p>\n

The 30-year-old signed a one-year deal with Washington after spending the past three seasons pitching in Japan. He\u2019s been electric.<\/p>\n

Griffin earned an All-Star nod after ranking in the top 10 among NL starters in ERA, wins and batting average against.<\/p>\n

The unexpected star has been the ace for Washington\u2019s inconsistent pitching staff. He hasn\u2019t allowed more than one run in each appearance since May 30.<\/p>\n

\u201cFoster\u2019s been awesome for us. I couldn\u2019t say enough great things about him, and he\u2019s going to thrive wherever he is in the future,\u2019 Toboni told MLB.com this month. \u201cSo, we\u2019ll see what comes as we get toward the end of the year and go from there.\u2019<\/p>\n

Griffin\u2019s one-year contract makes him a likely trade piece if the Nationals choose to offload win-now players in exchange for prospects. And Toboni insists that Washington\u2019s front office is keeping all options open.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat goes for everyone on this club,\u2019 he said. \u201cWe\u2019re obviously not at the point where we have to make a decision on that.\u2019<\/p>\n

The Nationals\u2019 first-year decision-maker has until the trade deadline at the start of August to decide on the team\u2019s direction. He noted that he would let their on-field play influence any potential moves.<\/p>\n

If the Nationals win big the next two weeks, Toboni could become a buyer for a playoff push. Continued midlevel performances might force him to stick with the players on the roster, with the front office focused on prospect development and extensions for current stars.<\/p>\n

But if the bottom falls out, fan favorites like Griffin and Abrams could find themselves donning new uniforms.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were pretty careful about not setting expectations too high or too low coming into this, just kind of see how it went with every passing day,\u2019 Toboni said before the All-Star break. \u201cI\u2019ve been pretty vocal about it: We just want to get the best out of our roster \u2026 then see where we\u2019re at, and we\u2019ll go from there.\u2019<\/p>\n

Read more EU sanctions Russian companies in response to deadly drone attacks on Ukraine<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Washington Nationals began easing toward next month’s trade deadline on Thursday as they sent outfield prospect Robert Hassell III to the Pittsburgh Pirates, the team announced.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4412,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[142,441],"tags":[2582,2134,2167,758],"class_list":["post-4413","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports","category-washington-nationals","tag-harry-ford","tag-pittsburgh-pirates","tag-robert-hassell-iii","tag-washington-nationals"],"yoast_head":"\nNationals trade Hassell, aim to bring up Ford as deadline nears - Home Buyer Relocation<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/homebuyerrelocation.com\/?p=4413\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Nationals trade Hassell, aim to bring up Ford as deadline nears - 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