Pirates, Nats Make Late-Season Swap

THE DEAL

The Nationals and Pirates swung a deal for two minor leaguers with prospect pedigrees on Monday afternoon, with infielder Chris Bostick heading from Washington to Pittsburgh in exchange for catcher Taylor Gushue and cash considerations.

Bostick was immediately placed on the Pirates 40-man roster, although he will not join the Pirates for the final stretch of this season. Bostick would have been Rule 5 draft eligible this fall if he was not on a 40-man roster.

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NATIONALS ACQUIRE Taylor Gushue, c Age: 22

Gushue followed Mike Zunino as Florida’s starting catcher for two years and was first-team All-SEC as a junior before being taken by the Pirates in the fourth round in 2014. Defense is Gushue’s calling card, with above-average arm strength and solid receiving skills to go with a prototypical 6-foot-1, 215-pound catcher’s frame. He is working on translating his arm strength to on-field success—he threw out just 25 percent of baserunners this season at high Class-A Bradenton—but is generally believed to have the tools to succeed. Offensively he was regarded as a below average hitter with average raw power coming out of the draft and is living up to that reputation. His batting average and on-base percentage have dropped with each level he’s climbed—bottoming out at a .226 average and .282 OBP this season with Bradenton—but did provide some pop with 17 doubles and eight home runs in 90 games.

Club (League)	Class	AVG	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	OBP	SLG
Bradenton (FSL)	HiA	.226	90	328	42	74	17	1	8	38	23	69	0	.282	.357

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PIRATES ACQUIRE Chris Bostick, 2b Age: 23

The Athletics drafted Bostick in the 44th round out of Aquinas Institute (Rochester, N.Y.) in 2011 and signed him away from a St. John’s commitment for $125,000. Despite his lack of high draft pedigree Bostick continually proved himself, hitting at least 20 doubles and 10 home runs with 20-plus stolen bases in each of his first three full pro seasons. He was twice traded for big leaguers—going from Oakland to Texas in a deal for Craig Gentry and Texas to Washington in a deal for Ross Detwiler—and was ranked the Nationals No. 25 prospect before this season. He is an above-average runner with quick hands that allow him to drive the ball to all fields, but his lack of plate discipline (125 strikeouts, 41 walks this season) prevents him from reaching base enough to profile as an everyday regular. Still, his power-speed combo and ability to play multiple positions—he plays second base primarily also played third base and left field this year at Triple-A Syracuse—portends to a possible utility role in the majors as soon as next year.

Club (League)	Class	AVG	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	OBP	SLG
Harrisburg (EL)	AA	.295	70	258	34	76	11	8	6	33	25	57	8	.361	.469
Syracuse (IL)	AAA	.207	64	222	27	46	11	2	2	18	16	67	3	.266	.302