The Washington Nationals continue to be baseball’s most active seller less than 24 hours before the trade deadline.
The Nationals made a pair of deals Thursday, shipping slugger Kyle Schwarber to the American League East-leading Boston Red Sox while later reportedly sending veteran reliever Daniel Hudson to the San Diego Padres.
Hours after reportedly shipping Max Scherzer and Trea Turner to the Los Angeles Dodgers in a separate deal, the Nationals moved their third All-Star of the day, Schwarber, to Boston for pitching prospect Aldo Ramirez.
Within an hour of that transaction, Washington kept up the trading frenzy by agreeing to deal Hudson, a right-hander, for minor league right-handed pitcher Mason Thompson, according to The Athletic. The Washington Post reported that the Nationals would get shortstop Jordy Barley in addition to Thompson.
Schwarber, 28, joined Washington before this season on a one-year, $10 million deal with a mutual option for the 2022 season, making his contract relatively affordable to absorb.
The left-handed hitter has been sidelined with a hamstring injury since being hurt in a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers on July 2. Although he has missed most of this month, Schwarber reportedly may be able to return by mid-August.
The injury came on the same day Schwarber was named National League Player of the Month following a staggering June. He hit 16 home runs last month, going deep seven times while leading off the first inning, and slugged .760 while driving in 30 runs in 27 games.
In his first All-Star season, Schwarber is batting .253 with a team-leading 25 home runs to go with 53 RBIs in 72 games. He is a career .233 hitter with 146 homers and 332 RBIs in 623 games with the Chicago Cubs (2015-20) and Washington.
Hudson, 34, has been elite out of the bullpen this season, sporting a 4-1 mark with a 2.20 ERA in 31 games. He has 48 strikeouts in 32 2/3 innings. Hudson is 56-38 with 27 saves and a 3.82 ERA in 431 outings (61 starts) for six teams over 12 major league seasons.
Ramirez, 20, was ranked as the No. 19 prospect in the Red Sox system, per MLB Pipeline. He has enjoyed a dominant season at Class-A Salem, sporting a 1-1 record with a 2.03 ERA in eight outings (all starts).
Thompson, 23, has pitched in four games for San Diego this season, allowing one run and four hits in three innings over four relief appearances. He was originally a third-round pick by the Padres in 2016.
Barley, 21, hit .240 with eight homers, 28 RBIs and 33 steals in 61 games for Class-A Lake Elsinore this year.
To make room for Schwarber, the Red Sox designated right-handed reliever Brandon Workman for assignment. Workman, 32, is 1-2 with a 5.46 ERA in 29 appearances with the Red Sox and Cubs this season.
