Nationals acquire pitchers Adams, McGowin from Angels in exchange for Espinosa

The Washington Nationals acquired right-handed pitcher Austin Adams and Minor League right-handed pitcher Kyle McGowin from the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday in exchange for infielder Danny Espinosa. Nationals President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement. Adams, 25, joins the Nationals after five seasons in the Angels Minor League system. The 6-foot-2 right-hander has pitched exclusively as a reliever, working to a 3.75 ERA in 166 career Minor League appearances, collecting 11 saves and racking up 218.1 innings pitched. Adams has struck out 11.6 batters per nine innings over the course of his Minor League career and posted a 12.8 K/9 in 2016. Added to the Angels 40-man roster on Nov. 18, Adams has pitched at every level of Los Angeles' system. He posted his best marks in Double-A, where he appeared in 59 games, struck out 12.7 batters per nine innings and owns a 3.00 ERA. Adams was a 2014 mid-season All-Star for Inland Empire of the Single-A California League. A native of Tampa, Fla., Adams was an eighth-round selection of the Angels' in the 2012 MLB First-Year Player Draft out of the University of South Florida. McGowin, 25, has appeared in 75 games over the past four seasons in the Angels' Minor League system, making 67 starts. Ranked by MLB.com as the 20th-best prospect in Los Angeles' system, the 6-foot-3 native of Southampton, NY, has amassed 375.2 innings pitched and posted a 20-30 record with a 4.77 ERA. In 2016, McGowin made 27 starts, splitting time between Double-A Arkansas and Triple-A Salt Lake City. Los Angeles' fifth-round selection in the 2013 MLB First-Year Player Draft, McGowin attended Savannah State University. Espinosa, 29, appeared in 779 games for the Nationals over the past seven seasons. A third-round selection from the 2008 MLB First-Year Player Draft, Espinosa made his Major League debut for Washington in 2010 and went on to hit .226 with 129 doubles, 12 triples, 92 home runs, 285 RBI, 60 stolen bases and 221 walks. He was hit by a pitch 73 times. Excelling on defense at second base and shortstop, Espinosa also surpassed the 20-double threshold in three of his Major League seasons and clubbed 20 or more home runs twice, including 24 this past season.