Tom Gorzelanny Traded From Cubs To Nationals In Roster Crunch

Earlier on Monday, the Cubs and Nationals swung a Tom Gorzelanny trade that sent the young lefty to Washington in exchange for three young players. Courtesy of William Ladson, we now have their names.

The first is 22-year-old Michael Burgess. Burgess was the 49th overall pick in the 2007 draft, and is a left-handed outfielder that spent much of last season with A-ball Potomac. He has a fair amount of power and defensive tools to build on, but his batting approach needs work and he isn’t a top prospect. Between two levels in 2010, he batted .265 with an .822 OPS.

Gorzelanny is a 28-year-old lefty who works primarily off of a standard fastball/slider/changeup pitch mix. He owns a career 4.68 ERA and will struggle with pitch location, but he’s improved his ability to miss bats and has blossomed into a fine middle-of-the-rotation starter. He’s under team control for another three seasons to boot, and while he’s not going to pitch like an ace, decent innings are decent innings, and the Nationals have gotten a little bit better.

For more on the deal, check out Federal Baseball and Bleed Cubbie Blue.