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Jonny Gomes Traded To Washington Nationals For Two Minor Leaguers, Matt Stairs Released

The Nationals have acquired Jonny Gomes from the Reds for two minor leaguers. Gomes is hitting .211 this season, but does have 11 home runs and 31 RBIs. The Nationals have designated Matt Stairs for assignment to make room for Gomes.

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Jonny Gomes Trade Causes Nationals To Designate Matt Stairs For Assignment

The Washington Nationals had to let somebody go off their 25-man roster after netting Jonny Gomes in a trade with the Cincinnati Reds for two minor leaguers. As expected, the man to go is Matt Stairs. The Nationals announced they have designated Stairs for assignment, potentially ending his 19-year baseball career.

Stairs was signed in the offseason, but his skills even as a pinch hitter had diminished. He had just 10 hits in 65 at-bats this season, and had essentially become another coach. He hit six home runs in 2010 with the San Diego Padres, but could not come close to matching that this year.

For his career thus far, Stairs hit 265 home runs while playing for 12 different teams. If this is indeed the end of his run, it was a heck of a career for one of baseball's most unique players. We shall see if any team picks him up.

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Jonny Gomes Trade Could Net Nationals Second-Round Pick If He Leaves In Free Agency

As Washington Nationals fans and media scratch their heads at the recent trade with the Cincinnati Reds for outfielder Jonny Gomes, this little tid-bit was tweeted by Adam Kilgore from the Nationals Journal:

 

One key point: Gomes is projected to be a Type B free agent, which could give the Nationals an extra second-round draft pick.less than a minute ago via web Favorite Retweet ReplyAdam Kilgore
AdamKilgoreWP

 

If Gomes is projected as a Type-B and indeed he goes to free agency this could be potentially a solid and almost ingenious move by the Nationals Front Office. Not only does this knowledge make the trade of Gomes and cash for outfielder Bill Rhinehart and LHP Chris Manno more tolerable and understandable, it makes for a fantastically smart way of backdooring prospects.

Gomes will be in Washington by Wednesday night and will be another weapon off the bench for the bench-happy manager Davey Johnson. Gomes will also be reunited with former Cincinnati teammate Laynce Nix.

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Jonny Gomes Traded To Washington Nationals For Two Minor Leaguers

The Washington Nationals have made a surprising move less than one week before the 2011 MLB trade deadline, acquiring Cincinnati Reds outfielder Jonny Gomes for minor league outfielder Bill Rhinehart and lefty pitcher Chris Manno. The team has announced the trade in a press release.

Gomes is not a name that was on the radar in the latest MLB trade rumors. He's a power hitter that doesn't hit well for average, but can supply some pop as a right-handed hitter. This season, his third with the Reds, he was hitting just .211 with 11 home runs and 31 RBIs, with a .336 on-base percentage. Last season, he hit .266 with 18 home runs, 86 RBIs and a .327 on-base percentage. However, he is also a free agent, so it is unclear if he has much of a future with the team.

It's not immediately clear where Gomes will play. Jayson Werth is in right field, so perhaps Gomes can play some left field. He can also be a pinch-hitter. Rhinehart is a 26-year old outfielder in Double-A, so he's not a significant prospect. Marro was a decent prospect who had picked up 12 saves for Single-A Hagerstown.

For more on the trade, visit Federal Baseball.

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