Nationals Snatch Herrara Away from Royals (and Braves?)
Washington beat the Braves (and everyone else) to the punch Monday when they grabbed Kelvin Herrera away from the Royals for three minor leaguers.
It has been pretty much a consensus that Herrera was the best bullpen arm available, as he has merely has walked only two in 22 innings while amassing 14 saves and a 1.05 ERA. He had 26 saves last year and appeared in over 70 games in each year from 2014-2016. He was a two-tine AL all-star.
The Nationals traded Kelvin Gutierrez, who was a Class AA infielder at age 23; Blake Perkins., a switch-hitting outfielder who was hitting .234 in the Carolina League; and RHP Yohanse Morel, who is only 17 and pitching in the DSL. None was considered to be a top 30 prospect.
This is the first incident where I feel AA fiddled while Rome made a deal on a player who would have locked down the Braves bullpen. This is an ouchie.