ST. LOUIS — The move made sense in the moment: Nationals Manager Dave Martinez lifted Jesse Winker for a pinch hitter in the top of sixth with the bases loaded in a two-run game. St. Louis had brought in a left-hander and Winker is a lefty.
Washington, D.C
On a night the Nats deal Jesse Winker, they also blow out the Cardinals
Martinez said he didn’t know about the pending trade when he made the move. He simply liked the matchup.
“I’m excited, right?” Winker said after the game. “I’m going to be a part of a great team that’s been winning a lot. It’s a wonderful opportunity. And then, obviously, I’m extremely thankful for everybody here. The opportunity to come and play every day. I’m so thankful for Mike Rizz0 and Davey. They really took a chance on me and I feel like I owe them a lot for that.”
The move is the second the Nationals have made this month leading up to Tuesday’s 6 p.m. trade deadline. They dealt reliever Hunter Harvey to the Royals on July 14 for third baseman Cayden Wallace and a draft pick that turned into catcher Caleb Lomativa.
There’s a good chance they are not done dealing. Reliever Dylan Floro, on an expiring contract, could be an attractive option for a contender. Likewise, closer Kyle Finnegan and outfielder Lane Thomas, both under team control through 2025, could be on the move before Tuesday as well.
As for the game, which started after a rain delay of 124 minutes, the decision to pinch-hit for Winker paid dividends. Harold Ramirez hit a two-run double that ignited a seven-run burst that effectively ended the competitive portion of the evening. The Nationals stranded the bases loaded in the previous two innings before Ramirez broke through.
That hit was the first of four in a row surrendered by Matthew Liberatore. Juan Yepez followed with a two-run single before James Wood roped a double to center. Keibert Ruiz followed with a three-run homer to make it 9-0. Ramirez added an RBI single in the Nationals’ four-run ninth.
“It started out as a weird game, I think we left 12 runners on base,” Martinez said. “But we came through in big moments as well. The boys just started working good at-bats, getting the ball in the zone, not chasing and really driving the ball in the gaps.”
In his final night as a National, Winker finished 2 for 3 with an RBI before being pulled.
The Nationals signed Winker to a minor league deal this offseason, hoping that he would return to the all-star form he displayed in 2021. In 2022 with Seattle, Winker struggled at the plate. Last season, he hit .199 in 61 games with the Milwaukee Brewers. But Winker, 30, was one of the Nationals’ most consistent hitters, batting .257, with a .793 OPS. He was tied for second on the team in home runs (11) and third in RBI (45). And he became a clubhouse leader and role model for his younger teammates, specifically shortstop CJ Abrams. Martinez raved about Winker’s energy and preparation.
“I think we all leaned on him a little bit,” said Wood, who went 4 for 4. “It’s tough but we always wish him the best. Not too much of the best, obviously, he’s staying in our division, but yeah, he’s great.”
The Nationals filled this roster this year with bounce-back candidates such as Winker, Joey Gallo Eddie Rosario and Nick Senzel, hoping that any of them could reap a reward. Winker’s renaissance paid dividends. Last year, the Nationals traded infielder Jeimer Candelario to the Chicago Cubs for two prospects, one of which was left-handed pitcher DJ Herz, who is part of Washington’s starting rotation. The Nationals hope the Winker trade can help them bolster their roster in the same fashion.
Winker said this was the first time in his career that his name has been floated at the trade deadline, making it hard for him to compartmentalize baseball and the weight of the rumors. Once Harvey was traded before the break, he understood that he might be traded, too. It didn’t seem to affect him Saturday.
Winker contributed in his final game, delivering a bloop single in the third to put the Nationals up 2-0. Jake Irvin, who cruised through 5⅓ innings, ended his start by yielding a two-run homer to Willson Contreras in the sixth.
Winker now heads up I-95 to the Mets, a division rival which is in the thick of a heated wild card race. And in September, he’ll have a chance to face the former teammates he said goodbye to Saturday night.
“I just hope the guys here take it easy on me,” Winker said, smiling. “Or, there’s a lot of good pitchers here. I just hope they take it easy on me.”