Report: Nationals ownership pushing GM to sell

The next few days will go a long way toward shaping the rest of the Washington Nationals' season.

Entering a four-game set with the Miami Marlins on Thursday sitting seven games back in the NL East and 5 1/2 out of the second wild-card spot, the Nationals could be on the verge of becoming sellers ahead of the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline if their season continues to go south.

Ownership is reportedly pushing Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo to sell, sources told Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, but he isn't ready to quit on the season just yet.

Earlier Thursday, sources told Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports that the Nationals are having discussions with rival teams to gauge interest in their players should they pivot and become sellers.

Washington has a number of impending free agents, including Bryce Harper, Daniel Murphy, Gio Gonzalez, Ryan Madson, Shawn Kelley, Kelvin Herrera, Mark Reynolds, and Matt Adams. If the Nationals begin selling, though, Rosenthal adds they likely won't entertain offers for Harper.

Washington has won its division in each of the last two seasons, and three times over the last four years.