Nationals nab McGowin in Espinosa trade

Three days after sending their top two pitching prospects to the White Sox, the Nationals brought back a couple of quality arms.

Washington acquired right-hander Kyle McGowin, formerly the Angels' 20th-ranked prospect, along with Double-A reliever Austin Adams on Saturday for Major League infielder Danny Espinosa.

The top prospect in the deal, McGowin was a 2013 fifth-round pick out of Savannah State University. The 25-year-old righty uses a fastball in the low 90's and a slider as his top two pitches and projects as a No. 4 or 5 starter in the big leagues.

McGowin split the 2016 season, his fourth in the Minor Leagues, between Double-A Arkansas and Triple-A Salt Lake. After finding some success over the first two months, the New York native struggled at times after getting called up to the Pacific Coast League on May 4. He finished 9-14 with a 5.83 ERA, 130 strikeouts and 55 walks over 142 innings across both levels.

Adams joined the Angels as an eighth-round Draft pick in 2012. The University of South Florida product posted a 3.05 ERA with 63 strikeouts and 24 walks over 44 1/3 frames this past season between Arkansas and a brief rehab stint in the Rookie-level Arizona League. He's converted 11 of 17 save opportunities in his five-year Minor League career while averaging 11.6 strikeouts per nine innings.

Espinosa has spent seven seasons in the big leagues, all with Washington. The 29-year-old hit .209 with 24 homers, 72 RBIs and nine stolen bases in 157 games in 2016.