Nats acquire catcher Gomes from Indians
WASHINGTON — The Washington Nationals acquired All-Star catcher Yan Gomes in a trade with the Cleveland Indians, the team announced Friday night. The Nationals will send the Indians right-handed pitcher Jefry Rodriguez, outfield prospect Daniel Johnson and a player to be named later, and they continue to be one of the most aggressive teams of the baseball offseason.
The addition of Gomes gives the Nationals a formidable catching duo, as the 31-year-old joins newly acquired Kurt Suzuki. The Nationals signed Suzuki to a two-year, $10 million contract earlier in November, and it was unclear then what Suzuki’s role would be on a team that got little offense from its catchers in 2018. Now it is expected that he and Suzuki will split starting duties and give the Nationals needed offensive production from that position.
The 25-year-old Rodriguez made eight starts and posted a 5.71 ERA for the Nationals in 2018.
Johnson, 23, was drafted by the Nationals in the fifth round of the 2016 draft and spent almost all of 2018 with the Class AA Harrisburg Senators. He hit .267 with six home runs, seven triples, 31 RBI and 21 steals in 89 games with the Senators.
Gomes’s current contract will pay him $7.8 million in 2019 with club options for 2020 ($9 million with a $1 million buyout) and 2021 ($11 million with a $1 million buyout). Gomes played 111 games at catcher for the Indians in 2018, hitting 16 home runs to go with 48 RBIs while posting a .266 batting average and .762 OPS percentage.