Friday afternoon, in the midst of non-tender deadline day, the Nationals and Indians struck a trade, with Cleveland sending catcher Yan Gomes to Washington for Daniel Johnson, Jefry Rodriguez and a Player To Be Named Later. Washington prioritized upgrading at catcher this winter, and has quickly solidified the position by signing Kurt Suzuki a few weeks ago and now trading for Gomes.
The 31-year-old Gomes had a strong season in 2018, batting .266/.313/.449 with 16 home runs over 112 games played, along with securing his first all-star game appearance. Gomes, a right-handed hitter, has a career .248/.295/.424 batting line. In particular, he punishes left-handed pitching, producing a .801 career OPS against lefties verses a .682 OPS against righties. Behind the plate Gomes has earned the reputation as an above-average or better defensive catcher, as he has strong pitch framing numbers and blocks errant pitches well. In addition, Gomes does a solid job controlling the running game, as evidenced by his career 35% caught stealing percentage. He will earn $7 million in 2019, with team options for $9 million in 2020 and $11 million in 2021.
In exchange Washington was first forced to part with 23-year-old Daniel Johnson, the Nationals’ 5th round pick in the 2016 MLB Draft. The left-handed hitting and throwing outfielder broke out in 2017, his first full professional season, hitting .298/.356/.505 with 22 home runs. Johnson struggled in 2018 with the promotion to Double-A, batting .269/.327/.412 with only 7 home runs. In fairness, Johnson broke his hamate bone midseason, an injury notorious for sapping home run power. There are concerns with his swing-and-miss, but Johnson has an intriguing combination of power and speed.
Defensively Johnson features a double-plus throwing arm and above-average speed. Typically these tools would profile well in center field, but Johnson does not look particularly comfortable in the middle of the field. He is a solid defender in either corner spot, but Cleveland would be wise to continue to develop him as a center fielder. Johnson is raw and needs another season or two of minor league development, but the tools are there for him to become a league-average center fielder, with the likely outcome being a productive 4th outfielder.
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Finally, Cleveland will also acquire a Player To Be Named Later from the Nationals in this trade. Although no names have been mentioned as of yet, expect this to be a young, raw pitcher in the lower levels of Washington’s farm system.
Overall this trade makes good sense for both clubs, as Cleveland had some catching depth and as a team blessed with a mid-market payroll, their front office sought to reallocate Gomes’s salary to fill bigger needs. However, I am mildly surprised Cleveland preferred a return of two talented but raw prospects, and a Player To Be Named Later, rather than players that are likely to contribute in the majors next season.
From Washington’s perspective, this offer was nearly impossible to turn down, as they find an excellent tag-team partner for Kurt Suzuki without parting with anyone that was projected to impact the team in 2019. Both Johnson and Rodriguez are boom-or-bust prospects with a non-zero chance of developing into impact players, yet their age and risk make them more likely supplemental pieces rather than major league starters. Without knowing the Player To Be Named Later it is impossible to fully judge this deal, but it is difficult to imagine this trade not being a clear win for the Nationals.