Hours after taking the rubber match on the road against the Boston Red Sox, the Washington Nationals made another move to potentially boost their pitching staff. Yet it was not the fact that the franchise made a move, but rather with who.

For the first time since the Nationals moved to Washington in 2005, the organization has completed a trade with its cross-town rival, Baltimore Orioles.

The deal also comes days after the two teams wrapped up a series at Camden Yards with the Nationals taking the final two games in the series to maintain momentum on the road. In addition, it comes nearly six months after the two teams split from MASN Sports in an expected divorce that was years in the making.

As for the actual deal, the Nationals acquired right handed pitcher Kyle Nicolas in exchange for minor league infielder Randal Diaz before announcing that Nicolas was immediately optioned down to Triple A Rochester.

Nicolas was initially designated for assignment by the Orioles back on June 27, who was moved after the club acquired catcher Dom Keegan off waivers. Marking the second time that he was designated for assignment in 2026, Nicolas ended his time with the Orioles without ever appearing in a major league game while he previously pitched in 7.1 innings with the Cincinnati Reds to open the 2026 season. In Cincinnati, Nicolas allowed seven earned runs, eight hits and 13 walks while owning an 8.59 ERA and 2.86 WHIP.

In 20 games and 20 innings pitched across Triple A this season, Nicolas owns a 5.40 ERA and 2.30 WHIP while allowing just one home run to his 26 strikeouts. He arrived in Cincinnati after spending the first three seasons of his career with the Pittsburgh Pirates where he appeared in 86 games including a more encouraging season in 2024 despite being optioned to Triple A Indianapolis to begin the regular season.

Diaz, meanwhile, departs the Nationals organization having never played above High A as the former fifth round pick in the 2024 draft leaves Wilmington with a .253 batting average and .766 OPS to go with his five home runs.

With the move, the Nationals also announced that right handed pitcher Mitchell Parker will be moved to the 60 day injured list after news that the struggling reliever is expected to undergo Tommy John surgery with a likely 2028 recovery timeframe.

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