Saturday evening the Washington Nationals traded infielder Danny Espinosa to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim for minor league pitchers Austin Adams and Kyle McGowin.  Earlier in the day, reports surfaced Espinosa had skipped the team’s WinterFest this weekend due to his displeasure following the Adam Eaton trade.  Expected to play a reserve role in Washington, Espinosa immediately becomes the projected starter at second base for Anaheim.

Drafted in the 3^rd round in 2008 from Long Beach State, Espinosa has spent his entire career with Washington, playing 779 games for the Nationals over seven seasons.  Last year the switch-hitting Espinosa batted .209/.306/.378 with 24 home runs and 9 stolen bases while acting as the starting shortstop.  For his career, Espinosa has a .226/.302/.388 batting line while playing multiple defensive positions.  An outstanding defender with a cannon-like arm, Espinosa is one of the better defensive middle infielders in baseball.  Sadly, the 29-year-old has always struggled making contact, as evidenced by his career 28.1 K%, which limits his overall value.  Espinosa is under salary arbitration for one final season and is projected to make $5.3 million in 2017.

In return Washington receives two 25-year-old right-handed pitchers, Austin Adams and Kyle McGowin.  Drafted in the 8^th round in 2012 from the University of South Florida, Adams was added to Anaheim’s 40-man roster this winter after a successful 2016 spent primarily in Double-A.  Last season Adams threw 41.1 innings with a 3.05 ERA and 61 strikeouts against 24 walks and 29 hits allowed.

According to scouts, Adams possesses a lively 93-96mph fastball that touches the upper-90s along with a devastating slider.  Unfortunately Adams struggles with his location and command, as shown by his 6.4 BB/9 career ratio.  He did trim his walks allowed last season and if he cuts his walks allowed closer to 4.0 per 9, he could be an asset in a setup capacity.  He is unlikely to see major improvements at his age, but it is a low-risk gamble to bet on a change-of-scenery for an obviously talented arm.

That said, modern lowest priced viagra physiotherapy goes beyond just massages. An inactive lifestyle may very well lead to erection problems in men. on line levitra viagra price canada Energy is buoyed up and you have to face humiliation. cheap discount viagra Tiredness connected with depression may outcome with impotence. Perhaps the better-known of the two players, McGowin was drafted in the 5^th round in 2013 and was recently rated as the 20^th best prospect in Anaheim’s organization.  McGowin has long impressed scouts with a quality 3-pitch arsenal, featuring a low-90s sinking fastball along with a decent slider and changeup.  However, his results have never matched his repertoire, as he has a career 4.77 ERA with a 7.7 K/9 ratio against a 9.2 H/9 and a 3.0 BB/9 ratio over 375.2 professional innings.  In addition, McGowin has struggled with various injuries throughout his career, limiting him to only 75 appearances and 67 starts in four seasons.

Due to organizational need following the departure of Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez, McGowin will likely remain as a starter next season.  However, his long-term role is likely in the bullpen, which could allow his stuff to “play up” and help him stay healthy.

The bottom line on this deal is Washington understood Espinosa would not accept a bench role in 2017, so the team decided to swiftly part with the disgruntled infielder for salary relief and two depth arms.  Washington made the correct decision to trade Espinosa and showed tremendous class sending him back to the west coast.  Those are all positives, yet I am still left feeling utterly unimpressed with the players coming back to Washington.

For all his flaws, Espinosa is a tremendous defensive infielder with power and should provide Anaheim with 1.5-2.0 WAR next season for a reasonable $5.3 million salary.  Certainly I have no way of knowing what, if any, other offers were made, but this package feels underwhelming for a starting-caliber player.  I would have preferred Washington wait for more attractive offers later this winter or during spring training rather than settle for this offer.  It feels like Washington preferred a quick resolution to this situation, rather than maximizing the potential value of their asset.  I can understand the rationale behind this decision, but cannot support the conclusion the organization ultimately reached.

NatsGM Grade ->             D