The Washington Nationals have traded infielder Danny Espinosa to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim for a pair of pitchers on Saturday, both teams announced.
Nationals trade Danny Espinosa to Angels
Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
News of the trade was first reported by Josh Norris of Baseball America and Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com.
In return, the Nationals received right-hander Kyle McGowin and left-hander Austin Adams.
The move was a logical consequence of Washington acquiring outfielder Adam Eaton from the Chicago White Sox in a blockbuster trade at the winter meetings earlier in the week. That move allows for Trea Turner, who played mostly center field in his rookie campaign of 2016, to move to his natural position of shortstop, a position Espinosa played last year after five years at second base.
The writing on the wall was so clear that Espinosa skipped the Nationals’ Fan Fest on Saturday, reportedly upset that the Eaton trade cost him a starting job, per the Washington Post.
But Espinosa will surely get that job with the Angels, who have defensive whiz Andrelton Simmons at shortstop. Halos second basemen hit a combined .235/.275/.345 in 2016.
Espinosa, who turns 30 in April, hit .209/.306/.378 with 24 home runs and 54 walks in 157 games for the Nationals last year, and is a career .226/.302/.388 hitter.
He made $2.875 million in 2016, and has one more year of salary arbitration eligibility before becoming a free agent. Espinosa is projected to earn $5.3 million in arbitration in 2017 by Matt Swartz at MLB Trade Rumors.
The move is a homecoming of sorts for Espinosa, who played his high school baseball at nearby Mater Dei in Santa Ana. Calif., and followed that with college baseball at Long Beach State, both within a short drive from Angel Stadium.
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