The Washington Nationals put a number of players on revocable trade waivers Friday, including 2015 National League MVP Bryce Harper and starting second baseman Daniel Murphy, sources told Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.
Virtually every player is placed on waivers in August, as Rosenthal notes. He adds that the intentions of Washington's front office are unclear.
After hitting just .214 during the first half, Harper has been on fire since the All-Star break. The 25-year-old is hitting .370/.459/.696 with seven home runs and 25 RBIs in 25 games.
Murphy missed the first two months of the season recovering from knee surgery, but has performed well after a slow start in June.
| SPLIT | G | PA | HR | RBI | AVG | OPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| June | 15 | 52 | 0 | 6 | .200 | .471 |
| July | 23 | 83 | 4 | 17 | .347 | .979 |
| August | 16 | 63 | 2 | 6 | .344 | .857 |
Harper is owed $5 million for the remainder of the season, while Murphy has $4 million left on his contract. Both players are eligible for free agency at season's end.
Washington is seven games behind the division-leading Atlanta Braves in the NL East and 5 1/2 games back of a wild-card spot.
