While the Washington Nationals came back from a 5-0 deficit to win a shocker over the Milwaukee Brewers, it was bittersweet after teammates were saying goodbye to top set-up reliever, Hunter Harvey, who was traded officially minutes ago to the Kansas City Royals.
The Washington Nationals acquired the Royals №2 overall prospect, third baseman Cayden Wallace, and maybe more importantly, the Royals’ competitive balance draft pick (№39 overall) and the slot money ($2,395,000) that goes with it, from Kansas City in exchange for Harvey. The Nats’ bonus pool for the MLB Draft has now increased to $13,895,100 from $11,500,100.
Wallace was the 49th player taken in the 2022 draft from the University of Arkansas. The third baseman is only 22 years old. He currently has a .282 BA and a .777 OPS in Double-A this season. Wallace led Royals’ minor leaguers with 47 extra-base hits and ranked second with 84 RBI in 2023. He also ranked among Kansas City Minor Leaguers in triples (2nd, 7), runs scored (2nd, 75), hits (3rd, 128), doubles (3rd, 27), total bases (3rd, 208), slugging percentage (7th, .414) and OPS (9th, .745).
Recently, Wallace suffered an oblique injury and went on a rehab assignment with the Royals’ Arizona Complex League team when he was struck in the ribs by a HBP and suffered a fractured rib. He will continue on the 7-day IL until he recovers from the rib injury.
The Nats pipeline of young third basemen now could look like Trey Lipscomb at the MLB level, Brady House (Top-100 prospect) at Triple-A, and the newly acquired Wallace, who should eventually make it back to Double-A in the third base pipeline. Remember, Yohandy Morales, who was drafted last year, went through a position conversion from third base to first base, but he is also on the Double-A injured list with news we broke that he has a fractured thumb sustained at the end of May.
The Competitive Balance draft picks selections are the only types of draft picks that can be traded. Keep in mind that only smaller-market and lower-revenue teams are eligible for these ‘bonus’ draft picks. With the acquisition of Kansas City’s competitive balance draft pick (39th overall), the Nats now have three selections on the first day of the 2024 First-Year Player Draft tomorrow that are picks 10, 39, and 44 overall.
In 2013, Harvey was drafted in the 1st round (22nd overall) of the 2013 MLB Draft from Bandys HS (Catawba, NC). He appeared in 138 games for the Washington Nationals, and a 3.17 ERA over parts of three seasons with the Nats. Not only do the Royals control Harvey for this year, but they also will control Harvey for next season too, and that is why the cost was high to acquire Harvey. The Nats will have to make a roster move to add a reliever to the roster to take Harvey’s spot and sources tell us that will be Amos Willingham. Tomorrow is the final game before the All-Star break.
With the trade of Harvey who is in his final year of arbitration eligibility, the Nats payroll will go down significantly after the season. Counting in the Strasburg money, the Nats CBT tax payroll before benefits would be approximately $84.7 million. But it also opens up a key bullpen spot that the Nats will need to add either internally or most likely through a free agent acquisition.
This certainly opens up speculation that the Nats’ could also trade Kyle Finnegan, but there is no reason to jump to any conclusions. The other players who have been mentioned in trade rumors are Jesse Winker, Dylan Floro, and Lane Thomas. As the trade of Harvey showed, the price was high on the Royals’ side to acquire Harvey today.
