Nationals GM: 'You can see the light at the end of the tunnel'

Washington Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo intends to sell at the trade deadline but feels good about the team's direction.

"You can see the light at the end of the tunnel," he told Ben Nuckols of The Associated Press. "I think the fan base can and knows what we're doing. You can see the progress and the process working."

Rizzo, who kicked off the trade season by sending reliever Hunter Harvey to the Kansas City Royals last Saturday, remains open to potential deals involving Lane Thomas and Kyle Finnegan.

Thomas has slashed .252/.318/.404 with eight home runs and 23 stolen bases across 68 games. Finnegan, meanwhile, just made his first All-Star team after recording 25 saves and a 2.45 ERA.

Both players are under team control through 2025.

"We're going to do a deal that we're comfortable with," Rizzo said. "And if we don't, we won't do a deal."

The Nationals entered Friday nine games under .500 and six games back of the NL's third wild-card spot. The club hasn't had a winning season since beating the Houston Astros in the 2019 World Series.