Nationals .791 OPS breakout former Rays prospect bust could be 'best trade bait'

Nationals .791 OPS breakout former Rays prospect bust could be ‘best trade bait’ originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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The Washington Nationals are not going to be sellers this season if they keep playing the way they have this season. At 40-38, the Nationals are just 0.5 game out of a postseason spot.

They’ve got to this point thanks to an incredible offense led by CJ Abrams and James Wood, two players likely to be All-Stars this season. But, they’re not the only players having good seasons.

Former Tampa Bay Rays prospect bust Curtis Mead is playing great for the Nationals this season with a strong .791 OPS. But, Jim Bowden of The Athletic named Mead as an “under-the-radar” trade candidate who might be their “best trade bait” if they fall out of postseason contention.

Curtis Mead might be Nationals ‘best trade bait’

“The Nats are currently in position to make a postseason run, so the only way they’ll trade Mead is if they fall out of the race before Aug. 3,” Bowden writes. “However, if they do, he could be their best trade bait.”

While the Nationals might not have any plan to trade away players this summer as of now, a rough end to June and poor July might open the door to some moves.

There’s bound to be plenty of attention on Wood and Abrams, who likely won’t be traded. Mead is one player whom the Nationals should consider moving.

Mead is 25 years old, and from 2022 through 2025, he posted -0.2 bWAR with a .238 batting average and a .617 OPS in 152 games and 445 at-bats.

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He was clearly not a good player, but now, with a .791 OPS and 121 OPS+, he’s broken out into a good hitter who could be an intriguing trade target.

Bowden named Mead as an “under-the-radar” trade target, and someone who might be the Nationals’ best trade bait, for good reason.

If there is a team willing to trade for Mead, who’s having a breakout season and is under club control through the 2030 season, then the Nationals could likely get a solid return.

Washington might not believe Mead’s breakout season is for real, and if that’s the case, then trading him this season, only if they falter from now until the trade deadline, might not be a bad idea at all.

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