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Wire Taps: Nationals Acquire Jerry Blevins From A's - What "They're" Saying...

On the last full day of the Winter Meetings, the Washington Nationals acquired the left-handed reliever they were after in another deal with the Oakland A's that sent minor league outfielder Billy Burns to the Athletics in return for 30-year-old lefty Jerry Blevins.

By Patrick Reddington
Ezra Shaw

The deal with the Oakland A's for left-handed reliever Jerry Blevins left the Washington Nationals with 40 men on their 40-Man Roster, so they didn't take anyone in the Winter Meetings-ending Rule 5 Draft. They did, however, lose catching prospect Adrian Nieto when the Chicago White Sox took the 24-year-old catcher with the second overall pick. The Nationals sent 2013 Minor League Player of the Year Billy Burns to the A's yesterday to get the left-hander they were after this winter. Here's what the baseball world had to say about the deal Mike Rizzo pulled off to solidify the Nats' bullpen...

• Rule 5 Draft Update:

• THE BIG STORY!!!:

• "More likely, the Nats think they’re on the verge of maximizing a disguised team-building edge that too few franchises understand..." - "Washington Nationals have quality bench players in reserve" - Thomas Boswell, The Washington Post

• NATS BEAT:

• "It is the seventh trade between the two teams since 2010, including the one for starting pitcher Gio Gonzalez after the 2011 season." - "MLB Winter Meetings: Nats acquire lefty reliever Jerry Blevins" - Brian McNally, Washington Times

• Rule 5 Draft Update:

• "Over the last three seasons, Blevins has allowed 0.9 home runs per nine innings, struck out 7.7 per nine and put up a 138 ERA+." - "Nationals Pastime: Nationals acquire Jerry Blevins from Athletics (updated)" - Dan Kolko, MASNSports.com

• "Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo didn't seem to think the frequency with which he deals with Oakland was a big deal." - "Nats and A's have been frequent partners" - Bill Ladson, nationals.com: News

• "Blevins owns a 3.30 ERA over parts of the last seven seasons with the Athletics, during which time he has held left-handed hitters to a .224 batting average and .278 on-base percentage." - "Nats acquire lefty Jerry Blevins from A’s for prospect Billy Burns" - Mark Zuckerman, Nats Insider

• "The Nationals needed a left-hander for their bullpen to neutralize the many left-handed hitting threats in the National League East..." - "Nationals acquire Jerry Blevins from Oakland for Billy Burns" - Adam Kilgore, Washington Post

• "In Blevins, the Nats get a 30-year-old lefty who is under team control for two more seasons and will probably make around $1.5 million through arbitration this year." - "Nationals Pastime: Rizzo discusses the Blevins trade" - Dan Kolko, MASNSports.com

• "I'm not sure how many teams can look at their roster on Dec. 11 and feel like they would be completely comfortable with the group they have if spring training was to start tomorrow." - "Nationals Pastime: So what's left to do?" - Dan Kolko, MASNSports.com

• Rule 5 Draft Update:

• "Blevins found out about the trade from the Athletics around noon ET. He was initially shocked, because he did not pay attention to any of the trade rumors." - "Nationals trade for A's left-handed relief pitcher Jerry Blevins" - Bill Ladson, nationals.com: News

• "'A younger, controllable type of guy that we’d have more than a year, and at a price point that we felt like made sense for us,' Rizzo said." - "Mike Rizzo says left-hander Jerry Blevins was 'our best option'" - Mark Zuckerman, Nats Insider

• "According to General Manager Mike Rizzo, the Nationals sorted through as many as four trade opportunities before they settled on 30-year-old Blevins." - "Mike Rizzo on Jerry Blevins trade" - James Wagner, Washington Post

• "Part job fair, part executive gathering, part frat party, the four-day winter meetings have it all." - "At MLB winter meetings, seamheads can see and be seen" - Brian McNally, Washington Times

• "The Nationals have a full 40 players on their 40-man roster, so they won't be selecting anyone during the major league portion of the Rule 5 Draft this morning." - "Nationals Pastime: Assessing the state of the Nationals' minor league system" - Dan Kolko, MASNSports.com

• "General manager Mike Rizzo said he is going to give infielder Danny Espinosa every chance to make the team, most likely as a backup infielder." - "Bench help remains on Nats' radar" - Bill Ladson, nationals.com: News

• "The Nationals will also keep looking at backup catchers. It is not imperative for them to sign another backstop, because they feel comfortable with Jhonatan Solano as Wilson Ramos’s backup." - "What’s next for the Nationals? More extension talk with Jordan Zimmermann, Ian Desmond" - Adam Kilgore, Washington Post

• "Rizzo had been thwarted in previous offseasons in attempts to bolster his starting rotation or bullpen, and his club often went into January (or even February) with significant holes still unaddressed." - "Nationals roster nearly set after productive two weeks" - Mark Zuckerman, Nats Insider

• NATIONAL(S) BEAT:

• "Blevins was the A's longest-tenured pitcher, having just completed his seventh season in Oakland, going 5-0 with a 3.15 ERA and a .218 opponents' average in a career-high 67 games." - "A's acquire speedy outfielder Billy Burns from Nationals for Jerry Blevins" - Jane Lee, oaklandathletics.com: News

• "For the second day in a row, the A's traded an established left-handed pitcher, dealing from a position of strength in order to help their minor-league system." - "A's trade Jerry Blevins for outfield prospect" - Sussan Slusser, SFGate

• "Les Nationals de Washington ont acquis les services du releveur gaucher Jerry Blevins des Athletics d'Oakland en retour du voltigeur des ligues mineures Billy Burns, mercredi." - "Blevins échangé aux Nationals" - RDS.ca

• "'I come to a situation that I think a lot of managers would love to come to, frankly,' Williams said. 'What I have to do is make sure that I put those guys in a position to succeed.'" - "Former San Francisco Giant Matt Williams adjusting as Nationals new manager" - Alex Pavlovic, San Jose Mercury News

• "Jerry Blevins swiftly changes into homemade Washington Nationals uniform after learning of trade" - David Brown, Big League Stew - Yahoo Sports

• "The son of former NFL running back Bob Burns, Billy isn't a big guy at 5-9, 180, but the switch-hitter is a fine athlete with outstanding speed." - "Athletics trade Jerry Blevins to Nationals for prospect Billy Burns" - John Sickels, Minor League Ball

• "Others have pointed out that a better infield defense (and the lack of a DH for the opposition) could benefit the groundball-inducing hurler's ability to prevent runs." - "Doug Fister's Hidden Value To The Nationals" - Jeff Todd, MLBTradeRumors.com

• "New Nationals pitcher posts perfect photo on Twitter" - Nate Scott, For The Win

• "One of the biggest needs for the Washington Nationals heading to the Winter Meetings was finding a left-handed reliever." - "Nationals acquire left-handed reliever Jerry Blevins from Athletics" - Matt Snyder, CBSSports.com

• "A's manager Bob Melvin said that this move, while tough because Blevins was 'one of those guys who is important personally and professionally,' opens up space for two recently acquired left-handers, Fernando Abad and Drew Pomeranz." - "Oakland A's send lefty reliever Jerry Blevins to Nationals" - John Hickey, San Jose Mercury News

• "The Detroit Tigers hired former catcher Brad Ausmus, the Cincinnati Reds promoted pitching coach Bryan Price and the Washington Nationals hired former third baseman Matt Williams." - "Brad Ausmus, Bryan Price, Matt Williams: Never Managed? You're Hired!" - Brian Costa, WSJ.com

• "Blevins a présenté une fiche de 5-0 avec une moyenne de 3,15 en 67 matchs — un sommet en carrière — cette année." - "Les A's envoient Blevins aux Nats pour Burns" - Métro

• NATSTOWN/MINORS:

• "The 2013 Chairman USO Holiday Tour rolled on this week, and Washington Nationals first baseman Adam LaRoche continued to soak in the experience." - "Adam LaRoche Checks In from 2013 USO Holiday Tour – Entry 2" - Curly W Live

• "Nats acquire Jerry Blevins from Oakland; Blevins updates his Twitter avatar with makeshift Nats uni" - Nats Enquirer

• "Matt Williams and Mike Rizzo meet the media at the Winter Meetings" - Curly W Live

• "The Nationals have satisfied one of their biggest needs of the offseason today with the acquisition of Jerry Blevins from the Oakland Athletics." - "Nats Acquire LHP Jerry Blevins from Athletics" - Joe Drugan, The Nats Blog

• "Nats and A’s Make Trade, Sun To Set Tonight In The West" - Luke Erickson, NationalsProspects.com

•"The Washington Nationals' commitment to young and aspiring District area baseball fans has perhaps never been more evident than team officials showing off a new 18,000-square-foot training facility at Fort DuPont Park in Southeast." - "Nationals Showcase New Youth Baseball Academy" - Stacy M. Brown, Washington Informer

• "Burns came to be a fan favorite in Potomac this past season for his work on the bases and speed in the outfield." - "Nats acquire LH reliever Jerry Blevins from A’s" - Dave Nichols, District Sports Page

• NL EAST UPDATES:

• Phillies: "Burnett, who turns 37 next month, would appear to be an ideal fit for the Phillies." - "Could Burnett be answer for Phillies?" - Ryan Lawrence, Philadelphia Daily News

• Mets: "In [Bartolo] Colon’s case, the Mets had to outbid at least two other teams who had offered him the extra year." - "Credibility is payoff of all this Mets spending during offseason" - Bill Madden, NY Daily News

• Marlins: "The Marlins agreed Wednesday to trade their Twitter-happy first baseman, Logan Morrison, to the Seattle Mariners for right-handed reliever Carter Capps." - "LAKE BUENA VISTA: Miami Marlins trade Logan Morrison to Mariners in exchange for reliever" - Clark Spencer, MiamiHerald.com

• Braves: "Eight weeks later we’re at the Winter Meetings, and the Braves are still hoping to add a starter, although they stopped talking about it being a potential ace-type of pitcher some time ago..." - "Ace unlikely in cards for Braves, who say that's OK" - David O'Brien, www.ajc.com

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