Nationals, Blue Jays trade Ben Revere for Drew Storen

The Washington Nationals and Toronto Blue Jays officially announced the completion of a Major Leaguer for Major Leaguer swap on Friday night. 

Washington acquired outfielder Ben Revere from Toronto, sending right-handed relief pitcher Drew Storen their way, as Jon Heyman of MLB Network reported. A player to be named later also heads to the Nationals and cash considerations also head to the Blue Jays. 

Heyman reported earlier Friday evening that the Nationals were pursuing Revere, but did not mention that anything was close. He reported a while later that their interest in Revere was very strong and mentioned that Storen could head north of the border. 

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The Nationals just lost Denard Span in free agency to the Giants. An outfielder was high on their priority list this offseason, with them even showing interest in Jason Heyward, the top option on the market. It appears that they did not feel comfortable with Michael A. Taylor being their starting center fielder come Opening Day. 

Revere is a good addition for the team. Not only is he a solid presence at the top of the order, but he does not become a free agent until after the 2017 season. 

MLBTradeRumors.com projects Revere to make $6.7 million next year in his second season of arbitration. 

The 27-year-old Revere heads back to the National League East. He began playing in that division in 2013, with a trade to the Phillies. He spent a bit of time in the AL East in 2015 after being dealt to Toronto. But now, he heads right back to the Senior Circuit. 

Last season, Revere played in 152 games, tallying 634 plate appearances. He hit .306/.342/.377 with two home runs, 22 doubles, seven triples, and 45 RBIs. He added 31 stolen bases in 38 tries. According to FanGraphs, he was worth 1.9 WAR.

Heading back to the Blue Jays is Storen. He adds to the now-great back-end of the bullpen, pitching alongside the likes of Brett Cecil and Roberto Osuna, who both had excellent 2015 campaigns.

The Blue Jays have been busy this offseason retooling their roster, re-signing Marco Estrada, signing J.A. Happ, and acquiring Jesse Chavez. Storen may represent the biggest move they've made to date this offseason. 

Storen needed out of Washington. The team failed to show trust in their closer after a poor postseason in 2012. He earned back the role in 2015 and converted 29 of 34 save opportunities, but still managed to lose his job after the team acquired Jonathan Papelbon. A change of scenery should be great for Storen. 

Along with 29 saves, Storen went 2-2 with a 3.44 ERA and a 67 to 16 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 55 innings pitched. He was worth 1.1 FanGraphs Wins Above Replacement. 

The 28-year-old Storen is a free agent following the season.

--Devan Fink