The Toronto Blue Jays and Washington Nationals made a trade on Friday night as both MLB clubs addressed an area of need heading into the 2016 season.
Toronto sent outfielder Ben Revere (and a player to be named later) to Washington in exchange for reliever Drew Storen (and cash considerations). Both teams announced the deal on Twitter.
The @BlueJays have acquired RHP Drew Storen from the Nationals for OF Ben Revere and a player to be named later. pic.twitter.com/P7APq4emB2
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) January 9, 2016
The #Nats have acquired OF Ben Revere from the @BlueJays in exchange for RHP Drew Storen: https://t.co/0WUtNgmE8d pic.twitter.com/Hq7NAT34Ac
— Washington Nationals (@Nationals) January 9, 2016
Storen has been the subject of trade rumors this offseason as the Nats have reportedly been looking to move him and fellow reliever Jonathan Papelbon. Storen, 28, has had a bit of an up-and-down career with the Nationals. Following his collapse during the 2012 postseason in Game 5 of the NLDS against the St. Louis Cardinals, the right-hander endured a terrible 2013 campaign and finished with a 4.52 ERA and 1.36 WHIP in 68 games (61 2/3 innings).
However, he rebounded to have a stellar 2014 and tremendous first half of 2015, but the Nationals' acquisition of Papelbon at the non-waiver trade deadline in July seemed to have affected Storen's performance. He posted a 1.89 ERA and 0.99 WHIP during the first half of the season (35 games) and a 5.82 ERA and 1.29 WHIP in the second half (23 games)
Still, Storen has proven he's capable of contributing to an MLB bullpen and that was an area of need for the Blue Jays.
He's projected to earn $8.8 million in his final year of arbitration eligibility, according to MLBTradeRumors.com.
On the other hand, Toronto acquired Revere from the Philadelphia Phillies at the trade deadline under Alex Anthopoulos' reign as general manager. The 27-year-old excelled with the Jays and hit .319/.354/.381 with 35 runs scored, 19 RBI and 7 stolen bases in 56 games after the trade.
However, the team is now under new management and felt there was enough depth in the outfield to move Revere.
The speedster has maintained a batting average of at least .305 and stole a total of 90 bases over the past three seasons.
The Nationals were looking for an outfielder - preferably one with experience in center - following the departure of Denard Span. Washington reportedly made a big run at Jason Heyward before he signed with the Chicago Cubs.
Not only did the Nats bolster their outfield in adding Revere, but they also got themselves a seasoned leadoff hitter. In 402 career games batting leadoff, Revere owns a .292/.324/.341 stat line with 213 runs scored, 103 RBI and 130 stolen bases.
The six-year MLB veteran is in his second year of arbitration eligibility and is projected to earn $6.7 million in 2016, according to MLBTradeRumors.com.
Both teams figure to benefit from the trade.
In other news, the Nationals also added former Miami Marlins general manager Dan Jennings to their front office. He'll serve as a special assistant to general manager Mike Rizzo.
Jennings got fired twice by the Marlins in the month of October. He was removed from the manager post shortly after the regular season ended, and then, after Miami reportedly offered him a position in the front office, team officials told him not to return to the Marlins offices a few weeks later.
