MLB fans stoked by reports that Washington Nationals third baseman Jeimer Candelario is available on trade market: "He’s been randomly so good"

Jeimer Candelario, an eight-year MLB veteran in the midst of his best season during his debut campaign with the Washington Nationals, is reportedly on the trade market.

Candelario, a .243 career hitter, is currently logging an average of .263. He is on pace to challenge career bests in both home runs and doubles with 10 and 26, respectively, this season.

The Nationals signed Candelario to a one-year, $5 million contract last winter, and appear eager to cash in on that brisk bit of winter business.

Despite Jeimer Candelario's best MLB season, the Washington Nationals are still a long way from contending. The Nationals currently sport the second-worst record in the National League at 32-48. Dealing Candelario off at the peak of his value for some prospects would serve Washington well as the organization continues to rebuild.

There are likely several contending teams that could make good use of Candelario's services at third base for the rest of this season, and then possibly re-sign him if he proves his 76 games so far this year are not a fluke. [

Of course, trading off a talented player is nothing new to Washington Nationals fans. The team has made a habit of letting loose of its stars ever since winning the 2019 World Series.

However, no one will confuse Jeimer Candelario with Max Scherzer, Trea Turner, Bryce Harper, or Juan Soto.

Jeimer Candelario played six of his eight MLB seasons so far with the Detroit Tigers. The Tigers landed Candelario in a 2017 trade with the Chicago Cubs.

Candelario was tremendously inconsistent during his time in Motown. He batted .271 with an MLB-best 42 doubles in 2021, then hit just .217 with 19 doubles in 2022. That inconsistency was part of the reason why the Tigers let him go to the Washington Nationals via free agency.

What would a trade rumor be without New York Yankees fans bursting in the door with some convuluted plan for how the Bronx Bombers could most benefit?

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Washington Nationals still have a lot of rebuilding to do

Washington Nationals v Seattle Mariners

The Nationals are showing much improvement on last season's 55-107 record. However, the ball club still has a ways to go until it gets back to the days of regularly making the playoffs like last decade.

Washington's World Series victory in 2019 capped a run of five playoff appearances in eight seasons. It was the most successful run in franchise history.