The Washington Nationals might be eyeing an old foe in their quest to return to October baseball.
Washington, reportedly seeking another starting pitcher, has talked trade with the Cincinnati Reds, according to Jon Heyman of Fancred Sports. The team apparently has its eye on a pair of right-handers in closer Raisel Iglesias and former Mets star Matt Harvey.
The Nationals are having a disappointing season, sitting just one game above .500 while being stuck behind the surprising Braves and Phillies in the NL East. A lack of consistent starting pitching beyond Max Scherzer has been a major factor in their downturn. Over the past 30 days, Nationals starters own a 5.66 ERA that ranks dead last in the majors. The absence of Stephen Strasburg, who's missed almost a month with shoulder issues, also looms large.
If it's depth the Nationals are looking for, the suddenly resurgent Harvey could be a perfect fit. Since joining Cincinnati in May following the ignominious end to his Mets career, "the Dark Knight" has started to find his old form, posting a 3.86 ERA and 1.099 WHIP with 40 strikeouts over 10 starts in a Reds uniform. His last three starts have been particularly stellar, including Sunday's rain-shortened 5 2/3 shutout innings against Milwaukee.
Harvey has enhanced trade value, going 3-0 with a 1.47 era over last 3 starts (2 at Great America). Better, he’s throwing 95-mph-plus again. #reds
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) July 3, 2018
Iglesias has emerged as a dominant closer for Cincinnati, recording 16 saves and a 2.45 ERA with 10.1 strikeouts per nine innings in 2018. Adding the 28-year-old Cuban would bring yet another powerful arm to Washington's bullpen, an area the team already upgraded with the acquisition of Kelvin Herrera.
Iglesias has some experience as a starter, beginning his big-league career in the Reds' rotation, but has worked exclusively in relief since the middle of 2016. Nonetheless, Heyman reports that multiple teams who have interest in Iglesias view him as a potential starter. It's not known if the Nationals are one of those teams.
The Boston Red Sox and Houston Astros were also linked to Iglesias this week.
