As the MLB trade deadline on July 30th came and went, it appeared as though the Washington Nationals’ business was done.
At that point, they had traded away seven players and had seemingly squeezed everything they could out of their expiring contracts.
Six minutes after the deadline had passed though, news broke that the Nationals’ GM, Mike Rizzo, had one last deal in him.
Despite his lackluster performances on the mound this year, the Nats were able to flip Jon Lester to the St. Louis Cardinals at the eleventh hour— which is even weirder when you consider his past heroics with their arch-rival Chicago Cubs.