The Philadelphia Phillies have been playing great baseball lately. They have won seven straight games and currently have the second-best record in the majors (32-18) behind the Detroit Tigers.
That said, not everyone in the National League East is having success this season, especially the Washington Nationals. The Nationals are still four games under .500 and nine behind the first-place Phillies despite winning five consecutive games.
Not to mention, Washington is also five games out of the final wildcard spot in the NL. If things do not improve drastically for the Nationals by the time the trade deadline rolls around in July, they could become sellers. And if that happens, one veteran in particular could garner interest from various contending teams.
On the latest episode of the Fenway Rundown podcast, MassLive’s Sean McAdam and Chris Cotillo, McAdam said that one team reached out to the Nationals about the potential availability of veteran first baseman Nathaniel Lowe.
The Nationals acquired Lowe this offseason in a trade from the Texas Rangers. This season, the 29-year-old first baseman is hitting .222 with eight home runs and 34 RBI in 50 games.
“I did hear that at least one team had contacted the Nationals of late to inquire about the potential availability of Lowe," McAdam said. "I don't know for a fact that that was the Red Sox, but it seems likely it was."
"There are not a lot of other teams in the market in mid-May for first basemen other than the Red Sox. So I’m going to assume that was one of the calls they made. Whoever that team was, they were told by the Nationals not interested, want Lowe around for his veteran leadership, not ready to wave the white flag," he added.
It’s not surprising that the Nats told whatever team that reached out that Lowe isn’t available, as it's still early in the season. However, if we are in late June or early July and Washington is still playing below .500 baseball, they might need to consider parting ways with Lowe, but only if the trade package is right.
Even though Lowe isn’t hitting the best at the plate right now, he’s still a career .268 hitter, which doesn’t just go away overnight. The veteran could be the missing piece in the middle of the order for a contending team, as he has playoff and World Series experience.
Lowe is making $10.3 million this season and is arbitration-eligible for 2026 before becoming a free agent in 2027. Nonetheless, if things end up going sideways for the Phillies' rival, do not be surprised if other Nats vets become available ahead of the deadline.