Yunel Escobar has been traded for the sixth time, with the Nationals sending the veteran infielder to the Angels in exchange for reliever Trevor Gott.
After three straight down seasons Escobar bounced back offensively this year in Washington, hitting .314 with nine homers and a .790 OPS in 139 games for his best production since 2011. He played exclusively third base for the Nationals, but has 1,000 career games at shortstop and some experience at second base as well.
Escobar brings on-base skills and defensive versatility to the Angels, who have the 33-year-old under contract for $7 million in 2016 and $7 million or a $1 million buyout in 2017. His arrival could mean free agent third baseman David Freese will not be re-signed.
Gott had a strong rookie showing at age 23, throwing 48 innings with a 3.02 ERA despite just 27 strikeouts compared to 16 walks. His fastball averaged 96 miles per hour and he racked up plenty of strikeouts in the minors, so the Nationals are banking on a lot more missed bats in Gott’s future. He’s under team control through 2021.
