Washington Nationals Part of 'The Most Consequential Trade' This Season

The Washington Nationals did not have the best season in 2024 as the team played to just a 71-91 record, good enough to finish fourth in the National League East, a division that saw three of its members earn playoff berths.

While the Nationals are one of the two teams in the National League East that have not played a big part in the 2024 playoffs as a whole, the team made a move ahead of the 2024 MLB Trade Deadline that has played a big part in the postseason and one team's path to get there.

On July 29th, one day before the 2024 MLB Trade Deadline, Washington traded veteran outfielder Lane Thomas to the Cleveland Guardians for Jose Tena and two prospects.

While it may not have looked like the best trade for the Guardians at first, with Thomas struggling to find his footing on his new team, things quickly turned around when he began to hit again.

It proved to be such a beneficial trade for Cleveland, that in a recent article for Bleacher Report, Kerry Miller (not that one) named it "the most consequential trade as far as this postseason is concerned."

"He heated up in a huge way in September," writes Miller, "with seven home runs and an .855 OPS over his final 25 games played."

It was much better than the production that Thomas provided the Nationals over his first 77 games of the 2024 season, which saw him hit just .253/.331/.407 with eight home runs, 28 stolen bases, and a 109 OPS+.

While Thomas was slugging his way to the playoffs with his new team, Tena was busy having his best Major League stretch to date in his own right.

Tena, 23, debuted for the Guardians in 2023, hitting .226/.294/.290 across 34 plate appearances in 18 games.

He made his way into three more games for Cleveland this year, going hitless in four plate appearances, before being traded to Washington where he would show that he is more than just a pretty face.

In 41 games with the Nationals, Tena batted .274/.305/.363 with eight extra-base hits, six stolen bases, and a 90 OPS+.

It has been his best Major League stretch to date, and Washington is hopeful that the youngster can build upon that for next season as he currently stands to play a role in their plans for the future.

While many looked at the Nationals-Guardians trade as a bust for the better part of a month after it took place, it has since become quite consequential for both teams and their futures.