The Nationals and Orioles linked up for a pretty minor trade last night. Paul Toboni acquired the recently DFA’d Kyle Nicolas in exchange for minor league infielder Randal Diaz. However, this trade has deeper significance because it is the first time that the Nats and O’s have ever made a trade together.
This is further proof that tensions are thawing between the two beltway rivals. For most of the Nats’ time in DC, the two teams have not had a great relationship, largely due to the contentious MASN deal. Let’s just say that Ted Lerner and Peter Angelos were not exactly best buds.
However, it is a new day now. Both Lerner and Angelos have passed away. Ted’s son Mark now runs the Nats and the O’s were sold to David Rubenstein. There has also finally been a resolution to the MASN debacle. As we know, the Nats are now on MLB TV.
Now that those factors have been ironed out, it makes sense that these teams would trade together, even if this is just a small deal. The O’s and Nats are just two teams making a deal now. While there will always be a rivalry, it is not like these teams are division rivals. Despite being in the same region, they are not city rivals like the Mets or Yankees either.
As the years go by, we should see more trades between these two teams, especially under these two GM’s. Both Paul Toboni and Mike Elias are transaction happy executives. Both love hunting the waiver wire and searching for value, and that is exactly what is happening here.
As we get into the trade itself, the Nats picked up a hard throwing, but erratic reliever in Kyle Nicolas. The 27 year old had a nice year back in 2024, pitching to a sub-4 ERA in 51 outings. Last season, he regressed a bit, posting a 4.74 ERA in 31 outings. However, his control was taking steps in the right direction, with his walk rate at a not great but manageable 10.8%.
After an offseason trade from the Pirates to the Reds, all of Nicolas’ control gains just vanished. He walked a preposterous 31% of hitters, and his control in the minors for both the Reds and O’s was not much better. Now, the Nats are taking a shot on him, hoping to get him back at least near the zone. There is a good thread about some potential solutions to his command crisis.
The control will never be good, but if it can get back to where it was in 2024 and 2025, he can be a solid piece of a bullpen. Nicolas’ stuff is very loud. He has a fastball that averages 97 and can touch triple digits. The righty also has two deadly breaking balls with his curve and slider. Last year, both got whiffs over 45% of the time, with his curve getting a 50% whiff rate.
At just 27 years old, this is a decent dart throw for the Nats. After picking him up, they immediately sent him to AAA. It is clear that Nicolas needs to make some serious tweaks to improve his control, but if he can do that, the righty has proven he can have success in this league.
This is also a solid deal for the O’s. Any time you can get minor league depth for an arm that was DFA’d, you take it. Randal Diaz is also not having a bad season. The 2024 5th rounder had a dreadful pro debut in Low-A, posting an OPS below .600. However, the 23 year old has a .766 OPS with High-A Wilmington this year. He has 5 homers and 13 steals to go with a .253 average.
The Nats have so many young infielders that Diaz never really had a shot of flourishing here. This move also allows Eli Willits, Ronny Cruz and Angel Feliz to man the infield just about every day in Wilmington. The Nats also needed to find playing time for youngster Jorgelys Mota, who just got activated from the IL.
There really was just not a spot for Diaz, so he was a good candidate to be moved in a minor trade like this. In the first trade between these two teams, Mike Elias and Paul Toboni combined to make a small, but sensible move. The O’s bolstered their minor league infield depth, while the Nats got a high velocity righty they will try to fix.
