Nats trade Storen to Jays for Revere

The Nationals added outfield depth in a trade, acquiring Ben Revere from the Blue Jays in exchange for right-handed reliever Drew Storen, both teams announced Friday night.

Revere, 27, is coming off a career-best season at the plate in which he batted .306 with a .719 OPS for the Phillies and Blue Jays. He also stole 31 bases, and has 176 steals in 645 career games. He also has a strong defensive reputation, though not with his arm. It has been thought that the Nationals would need to find another outfielder, particularly a center field option, with the departure of Denard Span. Revere figures to joust with Michael Taylor for playing time in center with the Nats, with Bryce Harper and Jayson Werth likely to get most of the playing time at the corners.

Storen has had many ups and downs with the Nationals, and was having a successful season as the team’s closer in 2015 until they traded for Jonathan Papelbon. Storen is eligible for arbitration after making $5.7 million in 2015, so he stands to be fairly expensive if the Jays don’t plan to use him as a closer. He’ll be a free agent after the season. Toronto’s bullpen was a team strength in 2015, with 20-year-old Roberto Osuna closing games by the end of the season.

Dalton Pompey, Michael Saunders and Kevin Pillar figure to get most of the playing time Revere otherwise would have in Toronto’s outfield. Jose Bautista is the mainstay in right.

The Nats have been adding relief pitchers in free agency since the offseason began, apparently making Storen and/or Papelbon expendable. Shawn Kelley, Trevor Gott and Yusmeiro Petit are among the new faces joining Papelbon and Blake Treinen in the pen.

Storen (left) gives the Jays bullpen depth. Revere gives the Nats a possible starting outfielder. (USATSI)

This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service – if this is your content and you’re reading it on someone else’s site, please read the FAQ at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php#publishers.