Washington Nationals: What to expect in Winter Meetings based on simulation
By Drew Douglas
Trading Andrew Stevenson, Yasel Antuna, and Kelvin Gutierrez for Nicholas Castellanos
After trading Taylor to Seattle, I could have just plugged Brian Goodwin or Victor Robles in and left it at that. However, 2018 is a huge year for the Nats, and I wanted to ensure that they had an outfielder that is capable of being productive in an everyday role.
In order to do this, I traded three prospects for Nicholas Castellanos. Castellanos is young at 25 years old, but he is a proven commodity.
Castellanos has mostly played third base throughout his career, but has also played some outfield over the last few years. If the Nats acquire him in real life, he would play left field and Adam Eaton would remain in center field. However, his ability to play third could also be beneficial if Anthony Rendon were to suffer an injury.
2017 was the best season of Castellanos’ career, as he hit .272 with 26 homers, 101 RBI’s, and 10 triples. He is also extremely durable, and only missed five games in 2017.
In order to acquire Castellanos, I had to part ways with three prospects. One of the prospects going to Detroit is outfielder Andrew Stevenson. Nats fans are familiar with Stevenson since he played in 37 games for the Nats in 2017.
Stevenson is a great defensive outfielder, but his bat is still coming along. According to MLB.com, he is the Nats’ seventh-best prospect.
The second prospect going to Detroit is infielder Yasel Antuna. Antuna is currently 18, and has played third base and shortstop in the Nats organization. He spent 2017 with the Gulf Coast Nats, and hit .301 in 48 games.
The final prospect in the trade is Kelvin Gutierrez, who was recently added to the Nats’ 40-man roster. Gutierrez, a 23-year-old third baseman, spent 2017 between the Gulf Coast Nats and single-A Potomac. In 68 total games, he hit .278 with two homers.
While I had to part ways with three prospects in this trade, I acquired a solid outfielder who is under team control for a couple more seasons. If the Nats acquire Castellanos in real life, he could be a great fit in the outfield and make an already potent lineup even better.