The Washington Nationals should trade Bryce Harper, but not for the reason you might think.
This is not about the Nationals cashing in on their season. No, this is about the Nationals becoming — without Harper — a better team.
Sounds crazy, but Harper is not performing at his usual offensive level, batting just .220, albeit with 25 homers and an .842 OPS. He also is miscast defensively in center field, the position he has played with greatest frequency in July.
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Ideally, the Nats would trade Harper for a starting pitcher, replace him with some combination of Michael Taylor and Victor Robles in center and acquire catcher J.T. Realmuto from the Miami Marlins.
The last part seemingly is not going to happen — the Nats and Marlins are not currently in active conversations on Realmuto, according to a source with knowledge of the negotiations.
But the rest of it? Why not?
The Nationals are indeed sending “feelers” out to potentially interested clubs on Harper, “seeing if someone wants to go crazy,” according to a rival executive.
Actually, they do not need a potential suitor to go crazy to justify moving Harper. They just need to reconfigure their team, much as the Boston Red Sox did after they traded Nomar Garciaparra in 2004, dramatically upgrading their defense with the acquisitions of shortstop Orlando Cabrera and first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz.
Some Nats officials would love the opportunity to pull off a similar extravaganza, believing their team is good enough to chase down two newbie contenders, the Philadelphia Phillies and Atlanta Braves, in the NL East.
The current version of the Nationals is not working — the team is 52-53, 5 1/2 games out in the NL East. But the team, after opening the season with a club-record $180.8 million payroll, would be foolish to concede.
Oh, and another thing: Do the Nats seriously want to lose Harper for only the high draft pick they would receive if they made him a qualifying offer at the end of the season?
They would be better off trading him, better off securing pieces that might help them both now and in the future, better off being proactive than getting sucked into Scott Boras’ free-agent web this winter.
The Arizona Diamondbacks would be a perfect match — the Nats could trade Harper for left-hander Patrick Corbin in a swap of potential free agents, and possibly acquire one of the DBacks’ three catchers as well.
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The Cleveland Indians are perhaps an even better fit for Harper, though they do not match up as well with a starting pitcher, not when Corey Kluber, Carlos Carrasco and Trevor Bauer all are under multi-year control. Well, maybe add to the package to get Bauer. Or take a younger, more controllable starter such as Mike Clevinger or Shane Bieber.
Get creative. Figure something out. If not with the DBacks, if not with the Indians, then some other club.
Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo adores Harper, recently telling 106.7 The Fan in Washington, D.C. that the outfielder is “near and dear to my heart personally.” Ownership also is quite fond of Harper, and likely would part with him only with great reluctance.
Still, the Lerners are businessmen first, and this is about salvaging a massive investment. The Nats have far greater problems than Harper — their manager, Dave Martinez, is widely viewed in the industry as overmatched. But the promotion of Robles, who is active at AAA after missing nearly three months with a hyperextended left elbow, could give the Nats the same kind of jolt Juan Soto did after he joined the club. The team would be better defensively, and maybe not much worse offensively.
At this point, what exactly is there to lose?
(Top photo of Harper: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports)