Nationals Send Left-Hander to Dodgers in Latest Trade
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Considering what was expected out of the Washington Nationals this season, combined with the brutal start to their schedule, they have to be feeling pretty good entering their first homestand of the year with a 3-3 record.
While they had a huge opportunity to win their first two series of the season, the early returns when it comes to this new era of Nationals baseball has been promising. They'll face the biggest test in the sport when the Los Angeles Dodgers roll into town for a three-game set. But that will also give the front office, coaching staff and players a measuring stick to see how far they have to go to reach where they want to be.
Prior to this matchup getting underway, the two sides made a trade with each other. Per an announcement made by Washington, they revealed that they sent left-handed pitcher Jake Eder to the Dodgers in exchange for cash considerations.
Nationals Pull Plug on Jake Eder Experience
Eder was designated for assignment by the Nationals as the corresponding move after they acquired utility man Curtis Mead from the Chicago White Sox. Considering Eder gave Washington more depth in their pitching staff and was acquired ahead of last year's trade deadline from the Los Angeles Angels in a package that also included first baseman Sam Brown, this decision was a bit surprising.
However, outside of the solid showing he had this spring, Eder never flashed much during his time with the organization. In his two starts with Triple-A Rochester last year, he allowed seven earned runs on nine hits across five innings pitched. While he did ring up nine batters, he also walked five and had a batting average against of .391.
The Nationals likely would have preferred to keep him in their organization if he had cleared waivers. But there must have been interest in the left-hander from other teams when it came to claiming him, so they sent him to the Dodgers in exchange for some cash and will see how he does out west.
Nationals Still Have Plenty of Depth in Triple-A
While holding onto Eder would have been a positive when it comes to the depth situation in the minors, losing him is not a huge issue. Mitchell Parker and Andrew Alvarez are two left-handed starters with Rochester, and Zach Penrod and Erik Tolman are two left-handed relievers.
Getting back cash by trading Eder to Los Angeles is a savvy move for Washington if they believed they were going to lose him for nothing. How he does with that franchise that is known for pitching development will be interesting to see when it comes to the next steps in his career.
Brad Wakai graduated from Penn State University with a degree in Journalism. While an undergrad, he worked at the student radio station covering different Penn State athletic programs like football, basketball, volleyball, soccer and other sports. Brad became the Lead Contributor for Nittany Lions Wire of Gannett Media where he continued to cover Penn State athletics. Currently, Brad is the Publisher for Washington Nationals On SI and covers multiple teams across the On SI network. He is the host of the sports podcast I Said What I Said, where he and his co-host discuss topics across the NFL, College Football, the NBA and other sports. You can follow him on Twitter: @bwakai