Trea Turner Trade Rumors: Nationals SS Drawing 'A Lot of Interest' Ahead of Deadline
July 27, 2021
The Washington Nationals have reportedly garnered "a lot of interest" in All-Star shortstop Trea Turner, though it appears the team would need to receive a massive haul in return to move him.
Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post reported the news and context Monday:
Turner, 28, entered Monday batting .319 (.888 OPS) with 18 home runs, 49 RBI and 21 stolen bases in 24 attempts. He led the National League with 199 total bases.
The seven-year veteran, who has spent his career with Washington, is under team control through 2022.
The Nats have floundered despite Turner's excellent season and are in fourth place in the National League East.
In turn, they could be sellers as Friday's MLB trade deadline approaches. A division title isn't out of the question, with the New York Mets eight games ahead, but the Nationals are going backward, having lost five straight and 11 of their last 14.
Turner is a fantastic trade asset if the Nationals decide to break down the team and rebuild, and they could be compelled to move him down the road with his free agency coming.
However, Turner is also a player to build around. One can make a case that he's the second-best and second-most valuable shortstop in the game behind the San Diego Padres' Fernando Tatis Jr.
His 4.0 WAR ranks ninth in the National League and second among shortstops in the Senior Circuit (Tatis, 5.0), per Baseball Reference.
At any rate, core pieces of the 2019 World Series championship team may be departing. Of note, staff ace and All-Star Game starter Max Scherzer has been the subject of trade talk, to the point where he's "open to moving" to another team, per Jesse Dougherty of the Post.
Jesse Dougherty @dougherty_jesseA small clarification here: In any potential trade situation, Max Scherzer will exercise his 10-5 rights b/c they afford him the ability to approve or not approve a deal. The point, as originally stated, is that he's open to moving and does have influence on destination.
The Nationals, who were swept by the last-place Baltimore Orioles over the weekend, opened a four-game road series against the Philadelphia Phillies on Monday. They allowed three runs in the bottom of the ninth to lose 6-5 and drop to 45-54.