Jonny Gomes Traded to Nationals; Reds Call up Yonder Alonso

The Reds traded outfielder Jonny Gomes to the Nationals yesterday, clearing the way for top prospect Yonder Alonso.  Washington sent minor leaguers Christopher Manno and Bill Rhinehart to Cincinnati for Gomes.

Gomes was known to be available this summer, but not many expected the last place Nationals to make a deal for the slugger.

"“We actually had a couple of clubs that inquired about Jonny’s services, but Washington was probably the most persistent,” Reds general manager Walt Jocketty said. “For us, it’s a tough move to make in some ways. Jonny was a big part of our club last year and he’s obviously a guy we all think highly of as a person and as a player. It gives us an opportunity now to bring up a player like Alonso and start looking at some of our younger guys that we feel we need to give an opportunity to.”"

Gomes was a large part of the team’s offense last season, accounting for 18 home runs and 86 RBI’s.  His strong effort in 2010 led to him winning the job of everyday left fielder for the Reds this year.

But Gomes hasn’t been able to reproduce that success in 2011.  On the year he’s posted a line of .211/.336/.399 with 11 home runs and 31 RBI’s.

Gomes has been very inconsistent in his production this season.  He’s put up respectable OPS’s of .854 and 1.015 in April and June but in May and July struggled to marks of .545 and .337.

Throughout his career, Gomes’ power has been evident.  Prior to 2011, he’d been able to hit 17 or more home runs in 5 of 6 seasons.

In moving Gomes, the Reds cleared a roster spot for former first round pick Yonder Alonso.  The 24 year old has a career .837 minor league OPS and has produced a line of .296/.374/.486 this season in Triple-A with 24 doubles, 12 home runs and 56 RBI’s.

Cincinnati also received a pair of players who should add to their minor league depth.  Rhinehart has split time between first base and the outfield this year in Double-A while hitting 21 home runs and driving in 59 RBI’s as a 26 year old.

Manno was a late inning reliever for the Nationals Single-A affiliate, where he completed 12 of his 13 save opportunities.  On the year the 22 year old lefty maintained an ERA and WHIP of 1.04 and 0.81 while striking out an impressive 69 batters over his 43.1 innings of work.

Washington will use Gomes off of the bench as a right handed power hitter and also platoon him in left field with Laynce Nix.

For more on the Nationals and Reds, be sure to check out District on Deck and Blog Red Machine.