Washington Nationals: Was rejecting Puig for Bryce Harper a mistake?

The Los Angeles Dodgers reportedly offered the Washington Nationals Yasiel Puig in a trade for Bryce Harper last summer. Should the Nats have accepted the deal?

For anyone living under a rock and not aware, Bryce Harper is now a free agent. After spending nine years in the Washington Nationals organization, Harper may have played his final game with the team on September 30.

However, Harper’s time with the team could have ended a few months earlier. With the Nats out of contention, the team elected to sell at the trade deadline and considered trading their star outfielder. Several teams were interested in acquiring Harper’s services, including the Los Angeles Dodgers. A deal obviously never came to fruition, but the Dodgers reportedly offered Yasiel Puig in exchange for Harper.

Trading superstars in contract years is tricky because they are extremely valuable, but may be a rental. The star’s current team understandably wants a lot in return, but suitors have to be wary of the fact that the player may leave in just a few months.

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With this in mind, the Nats undoubtedly received some intriguing offers this summer. We do not know the exact details of most of their offers, but Puig is an interesting one.

Had the Nats accepted the Dodgers’ proposal, Los Angeles may have wound up with Harper and Manny Machado, both of this winter’s free agent prizes. Perhaps the Dodgers would have defeated the Boston Red Sox in the World Series. Perhaps the Dodgers would not have even made it to the World Series. We will never know.

After losing their second consecutive World Series, the Dodgers probably wish the Nats would have accepted the deal. But, knowing what they know now, should the Nats have any regrets?

Harper is now a free agent, but the Nats made a legitimate attempt to agree to an extension before the season ended. The team reportedly offered Harper a 10-year, $300 million contract extension in late-September, which was obviously rejected. The two sides are open to negotiations, but it remains to be seen how much more the Nats are willing to offer.

If Harper signs elsewhere, the Nats will only receive a compensation draft pick. Is that better than Puig?

Puig has been unable to replicate his unbelievable rookie campaign, but he has been a solid all-around player throughout his career. He may not be the superstar that he appeared to be, but he would help most teams and provides energy the Nats seemed to lack in 2018.

The Nats have a crowded outfield, with Juan Soto, Victor Robles, and Adam Eaton currently projected as the starting trio, but Puig would provide valuable depth and insurance.

Eaton has been eased back from his significant leg injury and has played in just 118 games over the last two years. He appears to be good to go for 2019, but having some insurance would not hurt. Soto and Robles have played in a total of 150 games. While they are extraordinarily promising, they are largely unproven. As of right now, Michael Taylor is penciled in as the Nats’ fourth outfielder. Puig would certainly be an upgrade.

If the Nats had acquired Puig last summer then decided they did not need him in 2019, they also could have traded him to address one of their other needs. They could stand to upgrade their rotation, bullpen, catching corps, and second base, and having Puig as a trade chip would have helped. The Nats have plenty of trade chips throughout the organization, but few players have as much trade value as Puig, a 27-year-old on the brink of breaking out.

All things considered, the Washington Nationals probably made the correct decision to hold onto Bryce Harper. They knew that making the postseason was a long-shot, even with Harper, but trading him would hinder their ability to agree to an extension. Any trade would have damaged their relationship and forfeited their exclusive negotiating period. However, it is interesting to think about what may have happened if Harper and Puig switched sides.