Well, that’s an interesting one for the NL Central and for the free agent/trade markets going forward:
#Reds today announced the acquisition of RHP Tanner Roark from the Washington Nationals in exchange for RHP Tanner Rainey. pic.twitter.com/45bgb6kqWa
— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) December 13, 2018
Tanner R for Tanner R. That’s wild, man.
Roark, 32, has interspersed thoroughly meh seasons with a couple great ones over the past five years. He’s a command/control guy who can get outsized results sometimes when the ball is finding gloves. This is a solid if unsexy addition for the Reds as they fill out their rotation. If they are going to be as ambitious this offseason as they seem to want to be, stabilizing the rotation is a good first step.
NL Central, man, it could be rough.
As for the Nationals, they get an interesting 25-year-old relief prospect who is probably ready to at least be an up-and-down guy. More importantly, perhaps, they save about $10 million in projected salary, which they can now deploy elsewhere this offseason as they look to ward off the many feisty NL East teams.