Mystery Transaction

[Edgy MD]

The Cubs have traded David DeJesus to the Nats. Traded him, for an unknown person for an unknown pupose.

The deal is officially for a player to be named later. And while DeJesus is probably an improvement on Steve Lombardozzi and probably Scott Hairston as a utility outfielder, the Nats have turned around and put him on waivers.

What appears to be going on is the Nats making a waiver claim to block him from going to a better team, and the Cubs withdrawing the player and then trading him to the claiming team, to get at least some modest compensation. The Nats, less than fully invested in their claimee, are willing to re-deal the guy, as long as it keeps him off a team in front of them. But if anybody else behind the Nats wanted him, well, they'd have put in a claim of their own and dealt with the Cubs directly, right?

Anyhow, possibly worth the attention of the Mets, who originally drafted (but did not sign) him, as he gets on base generally better than Eric Young, but, you know, he's much older.

Semi-interestingly, all players with exception of DeJesus mentioned in this thread are MLB legacies, and DeJesus kinda sounds like he should be.

[Edgy MD]

Kinda looks like Carlos Beltran's little brother.

[Benjamin Grimm]

If he was a starting pitcher, I'd say go for it. They can use a throw-away veteran starter to get them through the end of the season, with Mejia and Hefner out and Harvey and Wheeler approaching their "innings limits." Is Doc Medich available?

[Frayed Knot]

And to trade for DeJesus the Nats released Roger Bernandina. Odd transaction indeed.

He was looking like a terrific 3rd/4th OFer for a while: fast, streaky power, real good glove [.291/.372/405 in 260+ PAs in 2012], just not as consistent as what you'd want in a full-timer. But this season he was nearly nowhere to be found [.178/.247/.270 w/167 PAs] and, at age 29, probably didn't figure to get as many second chances as what a younger player with his skills might get.

The performance of the Nats' bench as a whole has been a big difference in their fall-off this season. Last year virtually everyone they threw up there was getting hits: Tyler Moore, Bernadina, Kurt Suzuki, Jhonathan Solano, etc. But this year it's an OK season from Lombardozzi but a whole buncha nuttin beyond that.

[Edgy MD]

And if a .584 OPS along with a .013 isolated OBP is what's qualifying as OK, you ain't getting much.

[Frayed Knot]

Then I'll revise my former statement to read: they ain't getting shit! I must have been remembering Lombardozzi's one hot week or something.

Last season the Nats got much better out of him, out of Bernadina, out of the backup catchers, out of Chad Tracy, even out of Rick Ankiel for a while. Tyler Moore's RH bat was the reason they thought they could exchange Morse for Span (not directly but in effect) and still not lose that RH bat off the bench to make the opposing manager soil his shorts. But not only has Moore not been Morse, he hasn't even been Moore and no one else has either.

Benches, like bullpens, are hard to predict, and it's one area all the pundits seem to have missed in their rush to put Washington in the 2013 WS so quickly. It all seemed so logical: a 98-win season now adding a closer, a real CF/leadoff-man, plus getting a full year of Harper & Strasburg and probably not as unlucky with injuries as they were in 2012 (Werth, Flores, Ramos, Desmond, Morse, Espinosa, Storen) but it also overlooked how many things went right for them last year and the bench was one of the biggies.

[Edgy MD]

All the more reason to throw some cold water on the whole shut-down-Strassberg-to-save-him-for-the-long-haul plan. You may never be in that position again.

[Frayed Knot]

The traded for and then released David DeJesus winds up getting picked up by the Rays, who also picked up recently discarded Philly Delmon Young
The Phillies completed the circle by picking up former Nat (the one discarded to make room for DeJesus) Roger Bernadina

Strange trade indeed.

[Frayed Knot]

DeJesus helps quell a potential Yanqui rally in Tampa tonight with a crash-into-the-wall catch in the 7th inning.
That's a nice way to get in good with your new teammates (not to mention Met fans).