Trade Central: Jays Send Revere To Nats For Storen

THE DEAL

Having had success with the acquisition of Denard Span, the Nationals turned again to a former Twins first-round pick to fill center field with a trade for Ben Revere late Friday night.

Revere—who went to Toronto from the Phillies in July—was acquired by Washington for former closer Drew Storen. Revere, who played left field for the Blue Jays in deference to a superior defender in Kevin Pillar, likely will play center for the Nats, who lost Span to the Giants in free agency.

Storen, who lost the closer’s job after the Nats acquired Jonathan Papelbon, had sought a move and is likely to set up Roberto Osuna in Toronto.

The Jays’ comfort in acquiring Storen despite his noted playoff failure comes in part from their recent hiring of scout Ryan Fox, who signed Storen for the Nats as the 10th overall pick out of Stanford in 2009.

BLUE JAYS ACQUIRE
Drew Storen, rhp
Age: 28

The 10th overall pick in 2009, Storen got to the majors less than a year after he was drafted and established himself as the closer in 2011, notching a career-best 43 saves. However, Storen might be best known for two blown saves in the playoffs.

The righthander blew the save against the Cardinals in Game 5 of the NLDS in 2012 and, in 2014, when manager Matt Williams infamously removed a dominant Jordan Zimmermann with two outs in the ninth and a 1-0 lead following a walk to Joe Panik, Storen gave up a single to Buster Posey and a game-tying double to Pablo Sandoval. The Nats went on to lose the game in 18 innings and lost the series in four games.

Storen was having a strong 2015 season (29 saves, 1.73) when the Nationals traded for Papelbon and moved Storen into a setup role. Storen struggled in the role (3.44 ERA) and his season ended Sept. 9 after pitching poorly in a series against Mets when he broke his thumb slamming his locker in frustration.

Storen’s acquisition could allow Toronto to move Aaron Sanchez into the rotation. He is a free agent after the season.

Club (League)	Class	W	L	ERA	G	SV	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	AVG
Washington (NL)	MAJ	2	2	3.44	58	29	55	45	23	21	4	16	67	.220

NATIONALS ACQUIRE
Ben Revere, of
Age: 27

Revere stands to be the leadoff hitter in a lineup that includes Player of the Year Bryce Harper and NLCS Daniel Murphy, who signed as a free agent. The Nats have power, which is good because Revere has little. Revere’s on-base percentage is largely tied to his batting average, but it’s below average for a leadoff hitter (career .328). The other parts of his offensive game, however, are solid. He’s a career .295 hitter, and he steals bases at an 83 percent clip for his career. He’s an above-average defender with good range, but his throwing arm is below average.