Nationals collapse just gave the Reds a perfect trade deadline target

The Washington Nationals were the darlings among the MLB pundits and experts before the 2025 season began. Budding stars like outfielder James Wood, starting pitcher MacKenzie Gore, and shortstop CJ Abrams had Nats fans expecting big things from their young core. Sound familiar, Reds fans?

Unfortunately for Nats fans, their favorite team has fallen on hard times. Washington's recent slump could easily turn the Nationals into sellers at this year's MLB trade deadline. If that happens, the Cincinnati Reds should zero-in on Nats' outfielder Alex Call.

Before Thursday's win over the Colorado Rockies, the Nationals had lost 11 straight games. At one time, the Nats were battling for a spot in the NL Wild Card, but they're now barely ahead of the rebuilding Miami Marlins in the NL East standings and are more than nine games out of a playoff spot in the National League.

Nationals collapse should allow the Reds to make a deal for Alex Call at the MLB trade deadline

The Nats now have back-to-back series with the NL West's best — Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres — and could soon face the grim reality that their postseason dreams will need to be put on hold for at least another year. If that happens, Reds President of Baseball Operations Nick Krall needs to give Nats GM Mike Rizzo a phone call.

Call would be a tremendous asset for the Reds. A former third-round draft pick of the Chicago White Sox in 2016, Call is a late-bloomer than really doesn't fit into Washington's long-term plans. The Ball State alum took the long road to get the big leagues, and didn't make his debut until 2022. Through his first two seasons, Call hit just .209/.314/.331, but since 2024, the 30-year-old owns a .302/.396/.445 slash line with a 140 OPS+. Despite those numbers, he's been losing at-bats recently to rookie outfielder Daylen Lile.

Call doesn't become arbitration eligible until after this season, meaning that he has three years of team control beyond 2025. The Reds could pair the right-handed hitting Call alongside the left-handed hitting duo of Jake Fraley and Will Benson in the outfield. Call owns an .870 OPS against lefties this season with a .349 career on-base percentage versus southpaws — the perfect compliment to Fraley and Benson.

The Reds need one more right-handed bat ahead of the July 31 trade deadline, and with the Nationals now in free-fall, it's time for Krall and Co. to pounce. It's unlikely that a player like Call could command much more than a top-15 organizational prospect — and even that might be an overpay. A trade package consisting of Luke Holman and Leo Balcazar might be enough to get this type of deal done.

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