The Oakland Athletics have traded the recently acquired Yunel Escobar to the Nationals, in exchange for relief pitcher Tyler Clippard, both teams announced on Wednesday night.
A’s trade Yunel Escobar to Nationals for Tyler Clippard
The A’s remain busy this offseason, spinning another recently acquired asset.
Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
The Nationals' current shortstop Ian Desmond is still on the roster, though he was mentioned by Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal as being part of a three-team trade that fell through. Escobar can slide into the second base role that was vacated when mid-season pickup Asdrubal Cabrera departed to Tampa Bay in free agency, assuming they retain Desmond. Escobar was valuable defender at shortstop as recently as 2013, but looked like he lost a step, if not two, last season, similar to Cabrera who experienced a steadier decline. The Nationals might view him as fitting better at the keystone if that remains the case.
Clippard is a free agent at the end of 2015, while Escobar is under control through 2016. The reliever earned $5.875 million and is entering his final year of arbitration, with MLB Trade Rumor’s Arbitration Projection pegging him for $9.3 million in 2015. Escobar is set to earn $5 million in 2015, and $7.5 million in 2016 before becoming a free agent. While the Nationals are taking on a larger commitment, getting the extra year of control might actually be preferable than paying a reliever that much money.
This marks the second year in a row that the A's have acquired a pricey reliever from the mid-atlantic for an up-the-middle player, having taken on Jim Johnson from the Orioles last offseason.
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