Nationals acquire lefty reliever Romero from Rays

The Nationals have added another hard-throwing (if erratic) left-hander to their bullpen, acquiring Enny Romero from the Rays in exchange for minor league right-hander Jeffrey Rosa.

Romero was on Tampa Bay's 40-man roster and thus immediately joins the competition for a spot in the Nationals' opening day bullpen. The 26-year-old will need to show improved command from last season, though, to head north with his new club.

Romero sports one of the game's best fastballs by a left-hander (it averaged 96.7 mph last year) but has yet to prove he can harness it. Though he struck out 50 batters in 45 2/3 big league innings in 2016, he also walked 28 batters. That rate of 5.52 walks per nine innings was second-worst among all major league pitchers who made at least 50 appearances.

In 76 total major league games over his career, Romero is 2-2 with a 5.27 ERA, a 1.581 WHIP, 81 strikeouts and 45 walks in 80 1/3 innings. His arm may remind Nationals fans of another hard-throwing lefty acquired from the Rays three years ago, but his resume does not yet match Felipe Rivero's resume.

Tampa Bay was motivated in part to make the trade because even though Romero is under team control through 2022, he's out of options. The Nationals thus cannot send the lefty to the minors without him first clearing waivers, which could complicate matters later this spring.

Rosa is a 21-year-old right-hander signed by the Nationals out of the Dominican Republic. He was 0-4 with a 4.91 ERA in 11 starts in the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League last season and was not among the organization's top-ranked pitching prospects.