By the end of the 2025 Trade Deadline, the Nationals had acquired 10 prospects in exchange for six players, including five veterans on expiring contracts.
Six of those prospects entered the Nationals' MLB Pipeline top 30 rankings.
“I feel excited about what we did the last few days, getting some really exciting young players to bolster our farm system,” interim general manager Mike DeBartolo said. “At a high level, we were just looking at the roster, taking opportunities where whatever was in the best long-term interest for the Nationals and getting as many young players as we could to get back to where we want to be next year and beyond.”
The Nats began their prospect acquisition on Sunday with the trade of infielder Amed Rosario to the Yankees, and subsequently dealt pitchers Andrew Chafin, Luis García, Michael Soroka and Kyle Finnegan. Outfielder Alex Call was the only player traded whose contract goes beyond this season.
“We were looking for guys with stuff, guys that have performed well,” DeBartolo said of the six pitchers acquired. “A combination of both is really where our focus was. We feel like we got several guys that have that.”
No. 10 Sean Paul Liñan, RHP, High-A Wilmington
Acquired in Alex Call trade with the Dodgers (July 31)
Pipeline scouting report: Though he signed for just $17,500, Liñan has developed into the best pitching prospect from the Dodgers' 2022 international class. The Colombian spent his first two years as a pro in Rookie ball and most of his first three seasons as a reliever before taking a huge step forward in 2025. When pitching injuries in Los Angeles had the snowball effect of decimating the rotation at Triple-A Oklahoma City in May, Linan was promoted from Single-A for two emergency starts. He was at High-A Great Lakes in July when the Dodgers traded him to the Nationals at the Deadline for Call.
Liñan has one of the best changeups in the Minors, a high-spin cambio that veers sharply down and to the right as it approaches the plate around 80 mph. It plays extremely well off his 91-94 mph fastball, which stands out more with its carry and armside run than its velocity. His tight mid-80s slider/cutter is nothing special but it consistently provides strikes.
Though Liñan is just 6 feet tall, he gets down the mound well and provides plenty of extension. His low-release height, as well as his changeup, also add to his deception. He's a potential back-of-the-rotation starter, though he'll need to develop a second better-than-average offering to succeed against more advanced hitters.
Organizational fit: Adds pitching depth
ETA: 2027
No. 11 Christian Franklin, OF, Triple-A Rochester
Acquired in Michael Soroka trade with the Cubs (July 30)
Pipeline scouting report: Franklin was the most productive hitter on an Arkansas team that ranked No. 1 in the nation for most of the 2021 season and he was one of the toolsier players in that year's college crop, yet he slid to the fourth round amid swing-and-miss concerns. He tore the patellar tendon in his left knee while pursuing a flyball during his first Spring Training, requiring surgery that cost him the entire 2022 season. He showed flashes of talent without posting loud numbers the next two years and went unpicked in the Rule 5 Draft in December after the Cubs opted not to protect him on their 40-man roster. Up in Triple-A for the first time in 2025, Franklin started hitting the ball with more authority and was dealt to the Nationals at the Trade Deadline in a three-player swap for Michael Soroka.
Franklin hits the ball hard and has a disciplined approach that helped him lead the Double-A Southern League in on-base percentage (.398) and walks (71) last year, but he also makes a lot of ground-ball contact and struggles with sliders and changeups, leading to inconsistent offensive production. He displays plus raw power in batting practice, yet doesn’t drive the ball in the air in games, and four of his five homers last year snuck out down the right-field line. His right-handed swing gets long and he'll miss some hittable pitches in the zone.
An average runner out of the batter's box but quicker underway, Franklin stole 34 bases in 41 attempts last season. He makes good reads and takes good routes in the outfield, where his range grades as average in center and solid on the corners. He played all three outfield spots in 2025 with a primary focus on center. His arm plays from anywhere, aiding his chances at being a fourth outfielder in his new organization.
Organizational fit: Can play all three outfield positions
ETA: 2026
No. 12 Eriq Swan, RHP, High-A Wilmington
Acquired in Call trade with the Dodgers (July 31)
Pipeline scouting report: Primarily a shortstop as a Tennessee high schooler, Swan's fastball velocity jumped about 10 mph into the upper 90s when he became a full-time pitcher at Middle Tennessee State. Though he posted a 6.54 ERA in three seasons with the Raiders, his athleticism and arm strength ranked among the best in the 2023 college pitching class and the Dodgers selected him in the supplemental fourth round. After a strained left oblique and minor arm soreness limited him to 28 1/3 innings in his 2024 pro debut, he was one of the most impressive pitchers in the Arizona Fall League. Swan was at High-A Great Lakes for 2025 when Los Angeles traded him to the Nationals at the Deadline for Call.
While it looks like he's just playing catch, Swan works at 94-97 mph and tops out at 101 with his fastball while maintaining his velocity deep into games. His heater features more downhill plane than life and he has yet to develop consistent command of it, so it can get hit hard when he doesn't locate it well. He also can miss bats with two different sliders, one in the low-80s with more depth and a tighter upper-80s version that can climb to 90 mph.
Swan also will flash some solid upper-80s changeups with interesting fade, though he doesn't use it very often. He's extremely athletic for a 6-foot-6, 240-pounder and works exclusively out of the stretch. But outside of last year’s AFL, he doesn’t have a long history of throwing strikes as a pro. Washington should develop him as a starter for now, but it's more realistic that he becomes an overpowering reliever.
Organizational fit: Adds pitching depth
ETA: 2027
No. 13 Ronny Cruz, SS, Rookie Level
Acquired in Soroka trade with the Cubs (July 30)
Pipeline scouting report: The Dominican-born Cruz attracted attention on the 2022 international market, but a $200,000 deal fell through with a team. He trained at Mejia Top 10 Academy, which also produced Cubs shortstop prospects Jefferson Rojas and Cristian Hernandez, so Chicago knew Cruz well and stayed on him when he moved to Florida for his final two years of high school. He was difficult to scout last spring because he had knee surgery in November 2023 and wasn't completely healthy until late in his senior year, but the Cubs believed he was a top-two-rounds talent and made him a surprise third-round pick in July, luring him away from a Miami commitment with a below-slot $620,000 bonus. Cruz played in the Arizona Complex League in his first taste of the pros, slashing .270/.314/.431 with a 91 wRC+ before he was traded to the Nationals at the Deadline in a package for Michael Soroka.
With a quick right-handed swing and projectable strength in his still-growing 6-foot-2 frame, Cruz already displays plus raw power in batting practice. He generated some of the highest exit velocities during BP at the MLB Draft Combine and could produce 25 or more homers on an annual basis once he's fully developed. There are questions about his hitting ability because he can be overly aggressive and doesn't have much history facing quality pitching, and those concerns remain after his ACL stint.
Cruz isn't especially quick out of the batter's box but flashed plus straight-line speed after turning pro with his knee fully healthy. Out of the Draft, Chicago believed he has the actions and plus arm strength to remain at shortstop, and if he outgrows the position, center field could be Plan B. Even if he needs to move to third base with the Nationals, he has the tools to handle himself there too. By getting Cruz before his 19th birthday, Washington should get to control the long road of his development as an upside play.
Organizational fit: Potential to play infield and outfield
ETA: 2028
No. 23 Josh Randall, RHP, High-A Wilmington
Acquired in Kyle Finnegan trade with the Tigers (July 31)
Pipeline scouting report: Randall was a catcher growing up before taking his strong arm out from behind the plate and onto the mound. After two years in the bullpen at the University of Arizona, he transferred to the University of San Diego and became a workhorse starter and hit the scouting radar. The Tigers selected him in the third round and signed him for a $700,000 bonus. Randall made 16 starts at Single-A Lakeland in his first full season before earning a promotion to High-A in late July. He was traded to the Nationals shortly after in a Deadline move for Finnegan.
Randall is a classic power sinker-slider pitcher with a low three-quarter delivery and rotation, but he actually saw an uptick in his strikeout rate when he became a starter at San Diego. His heavy sinker sits around 94-95 mph but can ramp up to 98 and induce a ton of ground balls. His high-spin slider is a nice swing-and-miss pitch off the sinker. He has a feel for a changeup, but his ability to develop it could determine whether he ends up a starter or reliever as he advances. Part of what separated Randall as a starter in college was his ability to repeat his stuff and hold his velocity late into starts.
Randall, who threw a ton of strikes in Lakeland, drew comparisons to former Cleveland starter Justin Masterson during his time in the Detroit system. But with Randall’s big body frame and sinker/slider approach, there’s still a decent chance he ends up in a bullpen role down the road with Washington, one who needs to play in front of a good defensive infield given his propensity for grounders.
Organizational fit: Adds pitching depth
ETA: 2027
No. 24 Clayton Beeter, RHP, Triple-A Rochester
Acquired Amed Rosario trade with the Yankees (July 26)
Pipeline scouting report: Some scouts believed that Beeter had the best stuff of any college starter in the 2020 Draft, but his long medical history (Tommy John surgery in December 2017, a follow-up arthroscopic procedure seven months later) and limited track record at Texas Tech dropped him to the Dodgers in the supplemental second round, where he signed for an over-slot $1,196,500. Acquired in an August 2022 trade for Joey Gallo, he ranked eighth in the Minors with 165 strikeouts in 131 2/3 innings in his first full season in the Yankees system. He opened 2024 in the Majors and made one appearance before heading to Triple-A, where he missed nearly four months with shoulder issues before getting back to New York for two games at the end of the season. He moved to relief for good in 2025, made two more MLB appearances for the Yanks in July and was dealt to the Nationals before the Trade Deadline in a move for Amed Rosario.
In his role over shorter bursts, Beeter sits 94-97 mph, touching 99, with impressive carry on his four-seam fastball. He also overpowers hitters with an upper-80s slider with downer break that plays very well off the shape of his heater. (It had a 48.9 percent whiff rate at Triple-A at the time of the trade.) He can flash a plus 78-82 mph curveball and has a mid-80s changeup with some fade, but he has mostly scrapped both pitches.
Beeter’s move to the bullpen made sense considering his two reliable pitches and below-average control and command. He operates with a high three-quarters delivery that includes a deep plunge in back, which helps him stay on top of his slider but compromises his ability to land pitches in the zone. If he can find a way to provide more strikes, he could fill a high-leverage role in the nation’s capital.
Organizational fit: Already has Major League experience
ETA: 2025