Nationals acquire Kyle Barraclough from the Marlins

Normally, trades start happening after the World Series concludes so that the trade market has the focus of every team in the league. However, every once in a while we get trades before that when two sides meet and find a good fit quickly.

This appears to be the case with the Washington Nationals and the Miami Marlins. It seems like the Marlins have been willing to trade anyone and anything that isn’t nailed down except for J.T. Realmuto (who can probably still be had at the right price) and the Nationals find themselves with their playoff window closing and some needs throughout their roster including in the bullpen. The two sides seem to have found a common interest and pulled the trigger on a deal.

Kyle Barraclough had been coming off a pair of decent years with the Marlins in 2016 and 2017, but 2018 was a forgettable campaign for him as he posted a 4.20 ERA, a career high walk rate, a career low strikeout rate, and -0.2 rWAR on the season. The Nationals must think they can get some value out of him in their bullpen and it certainly doesn’t hurt that he is under team control until 2021.

As for the Marlins return in the deal, they get some more international slot bonus money which puts them among the league’s most flush on the international market. The Marlins are clearly embarking on a lengthy rebuild and investing in the international market isn’t a bad use of their time and resources. They may end up as one of the league’s worst teams over the next few years, but they will at least have the resources to infuse their farm system with talent over the next year or two.