The Nationals have made yet another trade with the Oakland Athletics, this time sending lefty reliever Fernando Abad to the A’s for outfield prospect John Wooten.
Wooten is a 22-year-old the Athletics took in the 37th round of the 2012 MLB Draft out of East Carolina University. He hit .257 through 133 games with 20 home runs and 69 RBI playing with the Single-A Beloit Snappers in 2013.
The year before Wooten spent most of the season with Vermont of the New York-Penn League where he held a .286 average with four homers and 38 RBI in 67 games. He is considered a mid-level prospect with good size at 6-foot-3, 200 pounds and power potential.
Abad leaves the Nationals after just one year in the organization. The Nats signed him as a free agent on Nov. 19, 2012 and saw him play a much bigger role than first expected.
Abad appeared in 39 games with Washington in 2013 due to a lack of lefty relief pitchers in their system. He finished with a 3.35 ERA and 32 strikeouts in 37 2/3 innings.
The 27-year-old Abad will move on looking for his third MLB team in three years. He pitched for the Houston Astros from 2010 to 2012.
Wooten heads East as one of several players acquired by the Nats from the Athletics. In recent years they have orchestrated trades to bring in Gio Gonzalez, Kurt Suzuki, Henry Rodriguez, Corey Brown, Ian Krol, A.J. Cole and now Wooten.
MLB.com first reported the news.
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