ANGELS LAND THIRD BASEMAN YUNEL ESCOBAR
The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim acquired infielder Yunel Escobar and cash from the Washington Nationals for pitchers Trevor Gott and Michael Brady.
What does it give the Los Angeles Angels
The Angels have had issues at third base in recent seasons, but it was thought the club would turn to youngsters Kaleb Cowart and Kyle Kubitza in 2016 (following the departure of David Freese to free agency). Instead, Los Angeles has added veteran Escobar to serve as the everyday man at the hot corner. The 33-year-old Cuban is a hitting machine who should help the Angels offensively, though he does come with some baggage.
What does it give the Washington Nationals
For the Nationals, they land a solid reliever in Gott (plus more pitching depth in the form of Brady). They also open up third base for Anthony Rendon to return to his natural position, after splitting time between third and second base the last few seasons. Washington may now look for a new second baseman, though they still have the inconsistent Danny Espinosa and young Wilmer Difo (who may also compete with Trea Turner at short).
Fantasy impact
Escobar isn't going to improve upon his recent success with Washington, and at age 33 may even start to slip a little. Therefore, his fantasy stock may be falling. Gott has some fantasy appeal as a potential setup man in D.C., while Brady is more of a depth pitcher. The big winners here could be Espinosa and Difo. The biggest losers after the trade are clearly Cowart and Kubitzka.
