Deal for Oakland starter costs four top prospects The Nationals traded four of their best minor league prospects to the Oakland Athletics for left-handed starter Gio Gonzalez, according to baseball sources with knowledge of the transaction.
A quiet offseason so far was given a jolt when Washington sent pitchers Brad Peacock, Tom Milone and A.J. Cole and catcher Derek Norris to Oakland for Gonzalez, a 26-year-old who has started 65 games for Oakland over the last two seasons and posted a 3.12 ERA in 2011. The trade is pending a physical.
Gonzalez is under team control for another four years before he can become an unrestricted free agent and made just $420,000 last year. The Nats believe he can be a solid No. 3 starter behind ace Stephen Strasburg, 23, and Jordan Zimmermann, 25, giving them one of the sport’s most talented young rotations.
But they also gave up a lot to get Gonzalez. Baseball America magazine ranked Peacock, 23, as the No. 3 prospect in the Washington farm system after this past season. He had already impressed in two starts for the Nats in September. Milone, 24, another September call-up from Triple-A, had a 3.81 ERA in five September starts. His fastball rarely tops the high 80s, and scouts consider his ceiling limited, but Milone had brilliant control in the minors. Cole was a fourth-round pick in 2010 whom the Nats liked so much they gave him a $2 million signing bonus. The right-hander had a 4.04 ERA for low-A Hagerstown in 2011 at age 19.
Norris dropped to No. 9 in Baseball America’s rankings after batting .210 at Double-A Harrisburg. But he has made tremendous strides defensively since being drafted out of high school in 2007 and has always shown elite pitch recognition and power. Norris hit 55 home runs combined over the last three seasons.
“We know [Norris] can hit,” Washington general manager Mike Rizzo told The Washington Examiner last month. “We know he’s got power. He’s a high on-base percentage guy. He’s got a short compact stroke. … Package that with a plus arm, and now his feet are working, he’s blocking pitches and pitchers love throwing to him. That’s a really exciting package for us going into next season.”
