Nationals’ trade for Yunel Escobar intended to address future concerns

In more than four years as the general manager of the Washington Nationals, Mike Rizzo has never been afraid to pull the trigger on a fair, sensible trade, even if it means shipping a productive or popular player out of town.

So when a deal was on the table Wednesday that would give the Nationals a veteran everyday player with three years of team control at a position of glaring need, Rizzo continued to push, even though it meant sending one of the organization’s best players across the country to the Oakland Athletics.

The trade, which was completed and announced Wednesday night, brought shortstop Yunel Escobar to Washington in exchange for right-handed reliever Tyler Clippard, who had been a staple in the organization for parts of the past seven seasons.

Escobar will fill the Nationals’ vacancy at second base and, with two years remaining on his contract, also serve as a form of insurance for shortstop Ian Desmond, who is set to become a free agent after the 2015 season.

“We feel we filled a few our goals in this,” Rizzo said Thursday afternoon. “We got ourselves a really good everyday baseball player that can play shortstop on a regular basis, has done it on a championship-caliber club. And this year, [he] fulfills us as an upgrade at second base. We have protection and depth in the infield beyond 2015, so we feel that we’ve checked off a lot of the boxes that we try to check off during the offseason.”

The cost for acquiring such a player, however, proved to be significant. Over the past several seasons, Clippard has established himself as one of the best late-innings relievers in baseball. A two-time all star, he recorded a 2.68 earned-run average in 414 games with the Nationals. Rizzo referred to the 29-year-old as “maybe the best eighth-inning setup man in the history of the game.”

Yet the move made sense because it used an area of strength — pitching — to address an area of weakness. Clippard was expected to receive around $9.3 million in arbitration this offseason, according to a formula by MLBTradeRumors.com, and he will be eligible for free agency next winter. The Nationals also feel they still have enough young arms in the minor leagues — including Blake Treinen, Aaron Barrett and A.J. Cole — to fill Clippard’s void.

“I think we have the internal talent to put together a good championship-caliber bullpen,” Rizzo said, while also not ruling out the possibility that the team will add relievers via trade or free agent before spring training. “We see a lot of internal candidates that should be able to, given the opportunity, to really perform at the big league level.”

Though suitable replacements may be available, Rizzo said it was difficult to allow Clippard, whom the team acquired in 2007, leave the Nationals.

“The longer you’re with guys, the harder it is to see them move on,” Rizzo said.

It was equally tough for Clippard, who has been with the team for nearly all of his professional career.

“Would love to take this opportunity to thank all the Nats fans, each and everyone of you had a huge impact on my life, I am very [grateful]!” Clippard wrote on Twitter on Wednesday night. “I loved every second of my time in DC, through the ups and downs the good and bad, every second was wonderful. Thanks forever Nats Nation!”

Escobar is a career .276 hitter with an above-average glove. He hit .258 with the Tampa Bay Rays last season, finishing with 18 doubles, seven home runs and 39 RBI in 137 games. His .324 on-base percentage and .340 slugging percentage were each below his career averages of .347 and .381.

A native of Cuba, Escobar was drafted by Atlanta in 2005 and spent the first three years of his major league career there, finishing sixth in the 2007 Rookie of the Year voting and receiving National League Most Valuable Player votes in 2009. He made subsequent stops in Toronto and Tampa Bay before being traded to Oakland less than a week ago alongside fellow infielder Ben Zobrist.

The Nationals had tried to acquire both Escobar and Zobrist from the Rays earlier this offseason in a deal that, according to a FoxSports.com report, involved Desmond going to the New York Mets. Washington was ultimately outbid by Oakland, which offered Tampa Bay three prospects and cash considerations.

Escobar has spent nearly his entire major league career at shortstop, but he played both second and third base as a rookie with the Braves in 2007. He also played 24 games at second base in 2006 for Double-A Mississippi — his only other professional experience at the position that will be his future home.

Though Escobar was something of a defensive liability last season, Rizzo said the Nationals have no concerns about his ability in the field. He said Escobar played through shoulder soreness and a quad injury that likely affected his play last year.

“We see Yuney as being an above-average defender, both at shortstop and second base,” Rizzo said. “We feel that getting off the carpet in Tampa Bay and playing on natural grass at Nationals Park will just be a positive for him defensively, and we have no qualms about his defense. We think that he’s an outstanding defensive player.”

Earlier this offseason, the Nationals signed several potential second basemen to minor-league contracts, including Dan Uggla and Ian Stewart. Danny Espinosa was also expected to compete for the job, or share it with a left-handed hitter. The arrival of Escobar means those three players will be left to compete for reserve roles.

Wednesday’s deal might also be a step toward Desmond’s departure from Washington. Negotiations between the organization and its longest-tenured player have been nonexistent this offseason, according to several media reports. And last month, Washington acquired highly-touted shortstop prospect Trea Turner as a “player to be named later” in a trade with the San Diego Padres.

If the Nationals are unable to reach an agreement with Desmond, Escobar is expected to shift to shortstop in 2016, serving as a placeholder until Turner is ready to assume that spot. But for now, Rizzo says, nothing with Desmond has changed.

“Ian Desmond is our shortstop. He’s the leader of our team. He’s one of the best shortstops in all of baseball, and he’s going to be the shortstop of the Washington Nationals,” Rizzo said. “With that said, Ian Desmond or any other player on the roster, if a deal comes up that we can’t refuse, we will always look to improve ourselves for 2015 and beyond. But it’s hard to replace one of the, if not the, best shortstops in all of baseball. So the deal would have to be pretty elaborate for us to not to have Ian Desmond on this team.”

The trade was the latest in a long string of deals between Washington and Oakland dating back to Rizzo’s promotion to general manager in 2009. The two teams have made nine trades since, bringing players like Gio Gonzalez, Jerry Blevins and Kurt Suzuki, among others, to the Nationals. Rizzo said the frequency of deals is more coincidence than anything else.

“I think it’s two GMs that aren’t afraid to make a trade to help both sides,” Rizzo said. “We got what we were looking for, they got what they were looking for. Two good players were traded to each other’s teams. When you speak the other language and you’re not hell-bent on really having to win or dominate the trade, I think deals get done. And I think this is a prime example of it.”