Washington Nationals Trade Lastings Milledge to Pirates

DEAL MERCURIAL OUTFIELDER AND RELIEVER HANRAHAN TO BUCS FOR MORGAN, BURNETT

The Washington Nationals announced that they have traded OF Lastings Milledge and RHRP Joel Hanrahan to the Pittsburgh Pirates for OF Nyjer Morgan and LHRP Sean Burnett.

This is a deal that sacrifices what was once considered key pieces of the Nationals' future in order to improve the product on the field today.

Morgan, who turns 29 on Thursday, broke into the big leagues in 2007 at the age of 26. Since then, in 614 plate appearances, he has compiled a lifetime .286/.351/.376 line with three home runs and 41 RBI. It's possible he's a late bloomer, and it's also possible that the Nats are trading for him in the middle of his peak season.

He is batting .277 (77-for-278) with six doubles, five triples, two home runs and 27 RBI in 71 games with Pittsburgh prior to the trade. Thanks to a career-high 29 walks and a .351 on-base percentage, Morgan has scored 39 runs this season. His five triples rank among NL (tied for second) and MLB (tied for third) leaders. Morgan departs despite pacing the Pirates in batting (.322, 66-for-205) against right-handed pitchers in 2009.

Morgan is a plus defender, currently leading all MLB left fielders in total chances per nine innings and range factor per game.  He will likely take over in center field, though he has primarily played left field for the Bucs this season. He has very good speed, as his 18 stolen bases and defensive metrics will attest to, but he also leads the NL in caught stealing with 10.

Clearly, the Nats traded the possible upside of Milledge's potential for Morgan's current production. It's a dicey move to be sure, but the team apparently has grown tired of Milledge's mood swings and lack of preparation, making the Nats the second organization to do so in two seasons.

Burnett is a 26-year-old left handed reliever. He has excelled so far this season as a lefty out of the pen. In 38 appearances, covering 34.1 IP, his splits have been very good (.189/.254/.396 v. LHB; .211/.357/.298 v. RHB), and has a 3/1 K/BB rate against lefties.

A failed starter, Burnett might have found his niche in the pen.

Burnett was 1-2 with six holds, one save, and a 3.06 ERA (11 ER/32.1 IP) at the time of the trade. A two-time (2001 and 2002) Pirates Minor League Pitcher of the Year, Burnett is 7-8 with 14 holds, one save, and a 4.54 ERA (81 ER/160.2 IP) in 109 games (13 starts) spanning three big league seasons with Pittsburgh.

It's disappointing to see the team give up on Milledge and Hanrahan. Both players have many talents, but did not succeed the way the team envisioned this season.

Milledge should settle into left field for the Pirates and give them some pop and speed in that position, and Hanrahan—if he can find the right mentor to bring out what's best in him—will give them another big arm in the pen.

Milledge, 24, went 4-for-24 (.167) with one RBI and one walk in seven games with Washington this season.  Last year, he hit .368/330/.402, leading the team with 14 homers and 61 RBI.

The 27-year-old Hanrahan finished 0-3 with five saves (10 save opportunities) and a 7.71 ERA (28 ER/32.2 IP) in 34 appearances with the Nationals in 2009.  In 2008, he was 6-3 with a 3.95 ERA with nine saves in 69 games.