JUPITER, Fla. — The Nationals made a move to bolster their depleted outfield on Monday afternoon, acquiring Matt den Dekker from the New York Mets in exchange for left-handed reliever Jerry Blevins.
The move offers obvious immediate benefits, giving Washington a likely fill-in for center fielder Denard Span or left fielder Jayson Werth as they continue to recover from their respective surgeries. However, general manager Mike Rizzo said the deal also had long-term appeal. In moving Blevins, a 31-year-old in the final year of his contract, Washington received a 27-year-old outfielder with two minor-league options remaining.
“We traded from a place of depth for a place of need, not only this year but in the future,” Rizzo said. “[Den Dekker] is a young guy with two options left, and a guy that the skillset fits for us.”
A fifth-round pick in the 2010 draft, den Dekker was rated as the organization’s best defensive outfield prospect by Baseball America until he made his major-league debut in 2013. He spent parts of the last two seasons with the Mets, hitting .238 with a .325 on-base percentage and a .310 slugging percentage in 152 major-league at-bats.
“He fits in in a lot of ways. He’s got the ability to play all three [outfield positions],” manager Matt Williams said. “Certainly can play the center field position. He adds speed, adds a little bit of power. So he gives us a lot of options in that regard.”
Blevins, 31, was traded from the Oakland Athletics to the Nationals in December 2013 and went 2-3 with a 4.87 ERA over 57 1/3 innings last season. He won his arbitration hearing against the Nationals last month and was scheduled to earn $2.4 million this season.
Blevins was expected to join Matt Thornton as the only left-handed relievers in Washington’s bullpen on Opening Day, and Williams still plans to carry two lefties. The manager mentioned Xavier Cedeno, Matt Grace, Rich Hill and Felipe Rivero as possible candidates to fill that second spot.
“We’ve got options,” Williams said. “All of those guys are going to pitch, and we’ll make decisions. That’s not to mention Matt Thornton. It’s good to have those kind of options going into a season.”
Though Williams did not say when den Dekker will officially join the team, the Nationals and Mets will face one another at Space Coast Stadium on Tuesday afternoon.
• Tom Schad can be reached at tschad@washingtontimes.com.
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