This week, the Washington Nationals acquired catcher Yan Gomes from the Cleveland Indians in exchange for minor league outfielder Daniel Johnson, righty Jefry Rodriguez, and a player to be named later.
Gomes has been a pretty reliable catcher for the Indians since joining the team in 2013. Although, he has battled his fair share of injuries throughout his career. Last season, he played in 112 games and posted a respectable .266/.313/.449 with 26 doubles, 16 home runs, and 48 RBI’s.
Defensively, he has been one of the top catchers in the game with Cleveland. Since 2013, he has had 31 defensive runs saved. He has also had a career caught stealing rate of 35%, which is the third best mark in that span.
The Nationals will now enter the 2019 season with a duo of Gomes and recently signed veteran backstop Kurt Suzuki behind the plate.
For the Indians, Johnson was viewed as the Nationals seventh best prospect in the system. During the 2018 season he appeared in 89 games with Double-A Harrisburg and hit .267/.321/.410 with six home runs and 21 stolen bases. Johnson is mainly known for his speed and his rocket of an arm.
Rodriguez was at one point the Nationals 19th best prospect. He made his big league debut in 2018 and posted a 5.71 ERA with 39 strikeouts and a 1.36 WHIP in 52 innings pitched. The 25-year old righty throws hard, but struggled with command in his time with Washington.
Last Word
Gomes has struggled to stay healthy throughout his career, but is a decent pickup for the Nationals. Suzuki is more known for his offense, so the addition of the defensive catcher in Gomes certainly makes sense. Heading into 2019, Washington has relatively cheaply formed a pretty solid duo behind the plate.
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