Nationals seen as landing spot for three-time batting champion at trade deadline

While much of the conversation surrounding the Washington Nationals ahead of the Aug. 3 trade deadline has been centered on if they are going to sell or not, the other side of the equation is that they could actually buy some pieces to help with their playoff push.

If they go down that route, bullpen arms are needed. There should be a few available in their price range, especially after a potential target just came off the board in a deal that should give president of baseball operations Paul Toboni an idea of what the market might be.

However, the Nationals might also decide that their pitching staff in 2026 is unfixable, so if they are going to win, they will do so on the back of their league-best offense. With that in mind, it's interesting to see Kiley McDaniel and Jeff Passan of ESPN list Washington as a potential landing spot for San Francisco Giants second baseman Luis Arraez.

Why Nationals Should Trade for Luis Arraez

McDaniel and Passan put the likelihood of Arraez getting traded at 95%, so it seems almost like a certainty that some team out there is going to acquire the three-time batting champion who is in the midst of a resurgent year at the plate.

The Nationals should be one of those teams interested. He would not only improve this offense even more, which is a scary thing to think about for opposing pitching staffs, but he would also be comparable to Nasim Nunez on defense, which is the player Arraez would replace if he were to be acquired.

Everyone thinks about the offense when it comes to Arraez, and rightfully so. He has slashed .323/.362/.450 with an OPS+ of 130 this season, which earned him his fourth All-Star Game selection. While he doesn't have much pop with four home runs, he is a much better hitter than Nunez, who has slashed .246/.329/.293 with an OPS+ of 75 and just one homer. Adding Arraez to the mix at second base would be a massive boost to a lineup that doesn't need much help, and that would make them one of the most dangerous offenses in all of baseball.

As for the defensive side of things, there wouldn't be a massive drop-off between Arraez and Nunez. While Nunez is known for his glove, which he's shown this year with nine defense runs saved and five outs above average, Arraez has actually been better in OAA with his value of nine. While he has a DRS value of minus-two, the defensive improvement of Arraez should give both Toboni and manager Blake Butera confidence that he would be an overall upgrade for the team.

Add in the fact that Washington would only have to pay a portion of his $12 million deal before he becomes a free agent after this season, and that should make things much more palatable for the Nationals when it comes to using Arraez as the placeholder at second base while they wait for top prospect Seaver King to take over, which is what they seemed to be doing with Nunez, anyway.

It's not clear if Washington has interest in giving up assets to acquire Arraez. But adding him to the mix is something they should think about doing, especially because that might just allow their offense to outscore the pitching deficiencies this team has.

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This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/nationals/onsi as Nationals Seen as Landing Spot for Three-Time Batting Champion at Trade Deadline.