WASHINGTON – For the second time in less than five years, the Nationals have traded two young pitchers to the Pirates for a Major League veteran.
During the 2016 season, Washington sent Taylor Hearn and Felipe Rivera (now Vázquez) to Pittsburgh for veteran reliever Mark Melancon.
Hearn pitched for Texas in 2020, while Vazquez, a former All-Star, didn’t pitch in the majors last season.
Then last month the Nationals sent Wil Crowe and Eddie Yean to the Steel City for switch-hitting first baseman Josh Bell. It takes years to evaluate the success of a trade from both sides – so we will hold off on the Bell deal for now.