Nationals acquire lefthander Tom Gorzelanny from Cubs in four-player trade

By Lindsay Rykiel

Nationals

January 28, 2011, 10:35am

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The Washington Nationals today acquired left-handed pitcher Tom Gorzelanny from the Chicago Cubs in exchange for outfielder Michael Burgess, right-handed pitcher A.J. Morris and left-handed pitcher Graham Hicks. Nationals Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement. Gorzelanny is 36-37 with a 4.68 ERA in 118 games/95 starts spanning six big league seasons with Chicago (NL) and Pittsburgh. Gorzelanny posted his finest season in 2007, when he finished 14-10 with a 3.88 ERA in a career-best 32 starts for Pittsburgh. Last season, in 29 games/23 starts with the Cubs, Gorzelanny went 7-9 with a 4.09 ERA and was touched for just 11 home runs in 136.1 innings. Gorzelanny, 28, has fanned 8.1 batters per 9.0 innings the last two seasons (2009-10) after averaging 5.9 strikeouts per 9.0 innings his first four big league campaigns. His .257 batting average against the last two years (2009-10) is superior to the .273 mark registered from 2005-08. In 20 career games/14 starts against Washington's NL East foes (Braves, Marlins, Mets, Phillies), Gorzelanny is 7-5 with a 3.52 ERA.