ANGELS ADD INFIELDER ESPINOSA FROM NATS
The Los Angeles Angels acquired second baseman Danny Espinosa from the Washington Nationals for pitchers Austin Adams and Kyle McGowin.
What does it give the Los Angeles Angels
Espinosa provides the Angels an offensive boost at second base, a position he has played extensively in the majors (even though he lined up at shortstop last season for Washington). While Espinosa won't provide much in the batting average department, his power, switch-hitting ability and defensive versatility make him a relatively valuable player. He should be an upgrade over L.A.'s 2016 options at second base (including now-gone Johnny Giavotella and grizzled veteran holdover Cliff Pennington).
What does it give the Washington Nationals
Dispatching Espinosa to L.A. saves the Nationals some salary, while letting rising star Trea Turner move back to his best position (shortstop). The recent acquisition of center-fielder Adam Eaton pretty much guaranteed Turner would return to short, making Espinosa the odd man out. Meanwhile, Adams is an underrated reliever who can strike batters out impressively (but still gives up too many walks), while McGowin--a righty like Adams--has mostly struggled in the upper minors while working as a starter.
Fantasy impact
The biggest fantasy change as a result of this deal is Turner will gain shortstop eligibility, and thusly should be even more valuable (since he already qualifies in most fantasy leagues at second base and center field). Espinosa's value might get a small upgrade too, since he may bat a little higher up the order with the Angels than he did with the Nats. Neither Adams nor McGowin looks likely to have much fantasy value anytime soon, although Adams might warrant some deep sleeper radar-worthiness thanks to his strikeout tool.
