Category Archives: Nationals

Nothing to Yan At – Gomes Coming to Washington

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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.

Washington Should Sign Zac Rosscup

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Last week when teams were cleaning up their 40-man rosters for the offseason and ahead of next month’s Rule 5 Draft, several interesting players were added to the list of available major league free agents.  One name in particular caught my interest, former Los Angeles Dodgers LHP Zac Rosscup, and I believe the Nationals should aggressively attempt to sign him.

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Washington enters this offseason with a major need for a left-handed reliever who can neutralize lefties.  The organization has used Sammy Solis and others ineffectively in this role the past several seasons, and the Nationals must address this weakness going forward.  Rosscup’s mediocre career numbers and dreadful numbers against righties should limit his bargaining power to a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training this winter.  Considering his skillset and the obvious need, a marriage between the Nationals and Zac Rosscup this winter seems like an excellent fit for both parties.

Introducing Washington Nationals James Bourque

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Washington selected James Bourque in the 14th round of the 2014 MLB Draft following a productive career at the University of Michigan.  The 25-year-old Bourque spent his first few professional years almost exclusively as a starter, before transitioning to the bullpen in 2018.  Last season Bourque was dominant across both High-A and Double-A, posting a 1.70 ERA in 53 innings pitched, with 76 strikeouts against only 30 hits and 26 walks.  Of note, he was particularly effective against left-handed hitters, holding them to a .132 average at High-A and .122 average in Double-A.  Bourque was eligible for the Rule 5 draft next month, but Washington chose to place him on the 40-man roster rather than leave him exposed.

Listed at 6’4” 190lbs, Bourque has long limbs and a wiry, lean body.  He throws from a high three-quarters arm slot and has a unique delivery with plenty of moving parts.  His delivery, combined with his lanky frame, creates excellent deception to opposing hitters.  Of course, the extraneous movement makes it difficult for him to repeat his mechanics, which hinders both his command and control of the strike zone.
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Bourque features a three-pitch arsenal consisting of a fastball, changeup and slider.  The fastball sits low-to-mid 90s, touching 96mph at its best, with natural armside movement into righties.  The move to the bullpen has helped spike his velocity, which sat more consistently 90-91mph in previous seasons.  Bourque’s primary off-speed pitch is a firm 85-88mph changeup with traditional split-finger type movement.  The pitch shows late, sudden sink that fools opposing batters, particularly lefties.  Finally he flashes a low-80s slider with limited action away from righties.  The pitch more resembles a cutter in shape but is thrown at slider velocity, rendering the pitch below-average.

Bourque is a late-emerging prospect due to his mid-90s velocity, impressive changeup and ability to neutralize left-handed hitters.  These attributes, plus his overwhelming success in 2018, forced Washington to protect him from December’s Rule 5 draft.  In addition, he has a bulldog mentality perfectly suited for a reliever.  His below-average command and lack of a plus breaking pitch limits his ceiling to a potential major league middle relief role. Bourque should begin 2019 either at Double-A or Triple-A and could see his major league debut next season.  Developing a 14th round pick into a potential productive major league piece is a major win for the organization and a clear success story for Washington’s scouting and development staff.

Sleeper Alert – Washington Nationals LHP Taylor Guilbeau

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Washington drafted Taylor Guilbeau in the 10th round of the 2015 MLB Draft after a solid career at the University of Alabama.  Guilbeau’s first two full professional years were split between the starting rotation and bullpen, before transitioning exclusively to relief in 2018.  The shift was a revelation, as Guilbeau posted a 2.52 ERA and 35 strikeouts in 35.2 innings pitched last season.  In particular Guilbeau overmatched left-handed hitters, holding them to a .184 average and 20 strikeouts.  This success, plus being Rule 5 eligible this winter, caused the organization to send him to the Arizona Fall League, where he continued pitching well with a 1.74 ERA in 10.1 innings.

Listed at 6’4” 180lbs, Guilbeau has long limbs and a lean, wiry frame.  The 25-year-old throws from a low 3/4s arm slot, which combined with his lanky frame, creates tremendous deception to opposing lefties.  He struggles to repeat his delivery, which does not show up in his walks allowed total but hinders his command of the strike zone.  He will flash fringe-average command on his best days, but it is below-average overall.

Guilbeau utilizes a three pitch repertoire of a fastball, slider and changeup, although he’s primarily a fastball – slider pitcher who throws the occasional cambio.  The fastball sits 92-95mph, touching 96mph on rare occasions, with some sink down at the knees and natural life above the letters.  The shift to the bullpen has done wonders for his velocity, which sat more 89-92mph in my viewings in previous years.  His best off-speed pitch is a hard upper-80s slider that is extremely difficult for lefties to square up.  It has plenty of tilt, which induces whiffs but makes it difficult to command in the zone.  Finally he throws a mid-80s changeup with good velocity separation from the fastball, but the pitch is firm and lacks much natural movement.
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The Nationals made a somewhat surprising decision this week not to add Guilbeau to the 40-man roster, thus leaving him exposed to the Rule 5 draft next month.  No question his age, short track record of success as a reliever and not pitching above A-ball were the reasons Washington did not protect him.  Yet, I fear there is a reasonable chance he is selected next month, as there was a buzz amongst scouts in the Arizona Fall League talking about Guilbeau’s increased velocity and success against left-handed hitters.  Frankly, I would have added him to 40-man roster.

Guilbeau is an intriguing left-handed relief prospect due to his impressive fastball velocity, hard breaking slider, and success neutralizing lefties.  His lack of a plus off-speed pitch, coupled with his below-average command, limits his major league ceiling to a lefty specialist who works in middle relief.  However, he has the right disposition to work in relief, along with enough velocity and deception in his delivery to get major leaguers out.  He should begin next season at Double-A and could see time in the majors as soon as 2019.