Marlins-Nats Make Trade
Marlins deal Olsen, Willingham as they keep cutting payroll
http://tinyurl.com/56kwlv
The Deal
Following closely their trade of Mike Jacobs, the Marlins cleared further
payroll by trading two more young veterans, lefthander Scott Olsen and left
fielder Josh Willingham, to the Nationals for a trio of young players.
Florida received second basemen Emilio Bonifacio and Jake Smolinski and
righthander P.J. Dean.
The Young Players
Acquired by the Nationals near the trading deadline, Bonifacio batted
.248/.305/.344 in his 41-game trial as Washington's second baseman. He's a
smooth defender at the keystone with a strong arm. A switch-hitter with
plus-plus speed, Bonifacio stole just 21 bases in 2008, counting both the
majors and minors, after nabbing 41 the year before. Though he's playing well
for Licey of the Dominican League this winter, batting .337/.455/.470 in 21
games through Nov. 10, Bonifacio has struggled to build on his big 2006 season
in the high Class A California League. That season he hit .321/.375/.449 in
Lancaster, a notorious hitter's haven, but his minor league averages in the
two seasons since are a more modest .297/.345/.371 in 949 at-bats. Just five
of Bonifacio's 12 career home runs have come outside of the Cal League, meaning
he profiles as more of a steady defensive second baseman with speed and a
contact/average approach. Bonifacio turns 24 early next season
Smolinski, the Nationals' second-round pick in 2007 out of a Rockford, Ill.,
high school, has endured two injury-plagued seasons of pro ball. But the
righthanded batter has hit a composite .280/.356/.399 when healthy, all while
transitioning from shortstop as an amateur to left field in '07 to second base
in '08. Smolinski, who will be 20 next season, had his pro debut was cut short
when he fouled a ball off his foot and suffered a small break, and then this
season he missed two months with a broken thumb. The news got worse this fall,
when he reportedly had both ACL and MCL surgery after being upended in a
collision while turning a double play at second base in instructional league.
Smolinski is expected to be out until at least May.
The Nationals' 2007 seventh-round pick from New Caney (Texas) High—Adam Dunn's
alma mater—Dean saw both his stuff and results improve in 2008. He went 4-1,
1.57 for short-season Vermont, compiling 34 strikeouts and 16 walks in 46
innings. The 20-year-old Dean, who could add velocity as he builds to his
6-foot-3, 175-pound frame—already sits 91-92 mph, with life, and touches 94.
Presently, his hard curveball and changeup both rate as average.
Quick Take
The price was right for the Nationals to acquire two established young
veterans. Olsen, 24, fits in as perhaps Washington's top starting pitcher,
rivaled only by Collin Balester, John Lannan or the healthy version of Shawn
Hill. Though his fastball and slider both were down last season, Olsen still
took 33 turns in the rotation, going 8-11, 4.20 and notching 113 strikeouts
and 69 walks in 202 innings. In fact, Olsen has made 30 or more starts in each
of his three big league seasons. But because of maturity concerns and because
he's arbitration-eligible, the Marlins deemed Olsen expendable.
Because he spent five and a half years in the minors, Willingham will be 30
years old before he embarks upon his fourth season as a regular next season.
He's a steady righthanded batter who hits and hits for power against both
righties and lefties. Willingham has batted .266/.361/.472 in 416 career games.
Drafted as a catcher, he's not much of a defender in left field and might fit
better at first base, depending on what happens with Nick Johnson and on
Willingham's back, which nagged him during the '08 season. Dmitri Young is no
longer a member of the 40-man roster, so he won't stand in the way, and both
Aaron Boone and Triple-A first baseman Larry Broadway are free agents.
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