The Nationals are getting calls on Dylan Crews, and at this point he looks like the more realistic trade chip than Daylen Lile.
Spencer Nusbaum of The Athletic reports that Washington has fielded interest from other clubs in the former No. 2 overall pick. The Nationals have also heard from teams on Lile, but Nusbaum notes that the asking price there is high enough that Crews is the likelier name to move.
That makes sense given where Crews stands right now. The 24-year-old has not put together sustained success in close to 900 plate appearances against big league pitching, and his 2025 season followed a familiar pattern: enough flashes to keep the intrigue alive, but not enough production to lock down a clear long-term role.
Crews opened the year back in Triple-A after a rough season and Spring Training sent him down out of camp. He stayed there until mid-May, then returned to serve as Washington’s primary right fielder, with some time sprinkled in at the other two outfield spots.
The defense was solid. The bat, not so much.
Crews hit .223/.289/.374 with 13 homers in 443 plate appearances, leaving him below average overall at the plate. Still, there were a few signs that the raw tools are intact.
His bat speed graded as plus, he made hard contact at an above-average rate, and he lifted the ball a bit more often than he had earlier in his MLB career - something the Nationals had specifically wanted to see when they sent him back down.
What didn’t really change was the approach. Crews swung at a career-high 51.7% of pitches and chased nearly a third of the time he saw something outside the strike zone. He struck out 24% of the time and walked at just a 6.8% clip.
The split numbers are a big part of the story, too. With the platoon edge, Crews hit .264/.331/.465 with six homers in 142 plate appearances against left-handers. Against righties, though, he was overwhelmed, posting a .600 OPS this season and carrying a career line of .207/.278/.344 without the advantage.
That kind of profile makes him a tough fit for a team that probably doesn’t want to slot him in as a short-side platoon bat this early in his career. Washington had much bigger expectations when it drafted him, and the current front office may not feel the same attachment to him as the previous Mike Rizzo-led group that selected him.
The path gets even narrower with Jacob Young now locked in on a $23MM extension, which makes it unlikely the Nationals will hand Crews everyday center field work. They can keep giving him chances in right, but the offensive standard there is higher than it would be in center.
If Washington does deal him, the club would likely need to patch the outfield depth behind him. James Wood is still expected to keep mixing in at designated hitter along with his right field work, and Andrew Pinckney is the only depth outfielder currently on the 40-man roster. Pinckney, 25, posted a .270/.347/.437 line in Triple-A last season, though he also struck out at a 31% clip.
The Nationals also don’t appear inclined to move Crews just for more prospects. The more plausible return would be an unproven or upper minors starting pitcher, with the club then looking elsewhere for a corner outfielder.
Wood, unsurprisingly, is off limits. Nusbaum reports Washington has no interest in trading him after a second straight 30-homer season, and he remains under club control for four more years.
Lile, meanwhile, would come at a much steeper price. He is five years from free agency, and while he hit well as a rookie in 2025, his defense was shaky.
This past season, he improved in the field but had a more uneven year at the plate, finishing with a .246/.296/.429 line and 22 homers. His debut campaign showed a higher offensive ceiling, when he hit .299/.347/.498.
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