In their first trade of the offseason, Monday the Washington Nationals traded left-handed relief pitcher Fernando Abad to the Oakland Athletics in exchange for A-ball outfielder John Wooten. This marks the third trade between the Nationals and Athletics in 2013, and the fifth between them in the past two years. Abad was designated for assignment by the Nationals last week, along with Tyler Robertson, to make room on the 40-man roster for Aaron Barrett, Sammy Solis, and Michael Taylor ahead of next month’s Rule 5 draft.
Abad, 26-years-old, was a minor league free agent signing last winter and impressed the Nationals in spring training with his mid-90s fastball. Abad rapidly found himself in the Nats’ bullpen due to woeful performances from Zach Duke and Henry Rodriguez, and performed reasonably well, pitching 37.2 innings for the Nationals with a 3.35 ERA, 42 hits allowed and 10 walks against 32 strikeouts. Strangely about his season, Abad was significantly more successful against right-handed hitters (.619 OPS) than lefties (.790 OPS). A revelation in the early part of the season, Abad struggled mightily in second half, allowing a .299/.372/.442 batting line and 3 home runs, which caused him to slip down the depth chart and made him expendable this winter.
John Wooten, a 22-year-old right-handed hitting outfielder, was drafted by Oakland in the 37th round of the 2012 draft from East Carolina University. Wooten spent last season in Low-A Beloit of the Midwest League and posted quality offensive numbers, hitting .257/.333/.430 with 20 home runs, 4th best in the league. Primarily a right fielder, Wooten spent some time defensively at third base, first base, and one game at second base last season. Wooten should begin 2014 in High-A Potomac, where his positional versatility and pop give him a chance to climb up the farm system.
Although a minor transaction in the grand scheme of things, considering the dearth of power-hitters in their farm system, the Nationals did well to acquire Wooten for Fernando Abad. On the other hand, Oakland is unlikely to regret trading Wooten, and have done well in recent seasons building their bullpens with relatively unknown relievers like Abad. Five years from now, this trade is likely to be forgotten by all but the hardcore fans, but this deal gives each team something they wanted by parting with someone they did not.
NatsGM Grade -> A-