Nationals Could Push for Their Future With This Eye-Catching Trade

It's clear what the Washington Nationals need to do this offseason: upgrade their pitching staff.

Things have been a disaster on the bump throughout the year for the Nationals, with their starting rotation ranking 25th in the Majors with a 4.59 ERA while their bullpen is dead last with a 5.89 ERA.

If Washington is ever going to turn the corner, they need to starting stacking viable arms.

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While they could have some real stars coming in the future by way of Travis Sykora and Jarlin Susana -- the team's No. 1- and No. 2-ranked prospects -- both are pitching at the Double-A level this season and seem to be at least one year away from being ready for The Show.

So, if the Nationals are ever going to start establishing a winning culture with their young group, they need to add pitchers who can help them win right away.

That's why they should strongly consider trading for Luis Severino.

The right-handed veteran had a resurgent season in 2024 with the New York Mets after recovering from his multiple arm injuries. His 3.91 ERA in 31 starts earned him a lucrative three-year, $67 million contract from the Athletics this past winter.

But things haven't quite worked the way Severino or the Athletics imagined.

Because of that, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, they "are now open to trading" their high-priced free agent addition after just half of a season.

Much of that has to do with Severino being openly vocal about not liking to pitch in the minor league ballpark the Athletics play in. And based on his 6.79 ERA in 10 starts at home compared to his 3.04 ERA in eight starts on the road, it's easy to see his frustration.

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Things have gotten to the point where Nightengale reported, "it may come as a surprise if he's still with the organization come August."

With that in mind, this is a perfect time for Washington to pounce on a quality starting pitcher.

Despite his cumulative ERA this year being 5.09 and his strikeout and hard hit rate being the lowest and second-highest of his career, there's still plenty that suggests Severino could be an impact player for them.

For one, his Stuff+ metric is above average, which suggests he still has plenty left in the tank to be a high-end starting pitcher.

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What perhaps is the thing that should interest the Nationals the most is the club control Severino has remaining, with him under contract for 2026 and a player option for $$22 million in 2027.

Pairing him up top with MacKenzie Gore finally gives Washington a legit one-two punch this franchise has been missing ever since their rebuild has gotten underway.

While adding Severino wouldn't inch the Nationals closer to truly contending for a championship or division title, it would bolster a horrendous pitching staff and allow the team to start winning more games, which has to happen at some point if they're going to be successful.

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