MLB Trade Deadline Rumors: 5 trades Nationals should make

5. Trade for Juan Nicasio

Washington took a huge step in the right direction in terms of solidifying its bullpen situation over the weekend, but there’s still room for improvement. As of now, it appears that either Sean Doolittle or Ryan Madson will handle the ninth inning for the Nationals, with the other taking over the eighth inning.

As a result, Enny Romero and Matt Albers will not be asked to handle the high leverage late-inning situations they have been for the last few months, which should allow them to pitch in a role more suitable to their skill sets. However, adding at least one more relief pitcher would help the unit as a whole and add depth to the bullpen.

A target that makes the most sense is Pirates right-hander Juan Nicasio, and we discussed Nicasio and teammate Daniel Hudson as an option for the Nats earlier this month. Nicasio has a 2.55 ERA and 2.50 FIP in 42.1 innings across a major league leading 46 games entering Tuesday.

A former starter with the Rockies, Nicasio has 44 strikeouts this season, giving him 9.4 K’s per nine innings. Though that number is less impressive than it was over the past two seasons, when Nicasio posted 10.0 and 10.5 K/9, respectively, he has also allowed fewer walks and hits. The 30-year old has a 1.181 WHIP and 7.4 hits per nine innings – both career lows – and has allowed 3.2 walks per nine innings, which is his lowest since 2014.

Nicasio began the season working in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings, and he would likely take over that role in D.C. if the clubs agreed on a deal. But, because Nicasio has been so good for the Pirates, Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle has moved him into a regular eighth inning role over the past month.