The Angels today acquired infielder Danny Espinosa from the Washington Nationals in exchange for minor league pitchers Kyle McGowin and Austin Adams. Today's announcement was made by Angels General Manager Billy Eppler.
"We are excited to add a player of Danny's caliber to the Angels," Eppler said. "His switch hitting ability and impact bat add depth to our lineup and his defensive résumé will be a welcomed addition to the middle of our infield."
                
Espinosa, 29, set new career highs in both home runs (24 HR) and RBI (72 RBI) with the Nationals in 2016, while batting .209 (108/516) with 15 doubles and 66 runs scored. The 24 homers were good for fourth in the National League by a middle infielder while the 72 RBI were tied for fifth. Espinosa also became just the fifth second baseman or shortstop (seventh occurrence) in Washington franchise history (includes Montreal) to hit 20 home runs and drive in 70 RBI during a single season.
A native of Santa Ana, CA, Espinosa attended Mater Dei High School (less than six miles from Angel Stadium) before playing collegiate baseball at California State University, Long Beach where he became the 12th Dirtbag to earn all-conference honors three times. The 2008 third round draft pick has amassed a .226 (598/2644) average with 129 doubles, 12 triples, 92 home runs and 285 RBI across seven seasons with the Nationals. Additionally, since the start of the 2011 season, his 86 home runs rank second in the National League by a switch hitter.                
McGowin, 25, split the 2016 season between Double-A Arkansas and Triple-A Salt Lake and combined to go 9-14 with a 5.83 ERA (142 IP - 92 ER) in 27 games (all starts). He led all Angels minor leaguers with 130 strikeouts on the season, while walking 55. The native of Southampton, NY was originally drafted by the Angels in the fifth round of the 2013 First-Year Player Draft. In four minor league seasons, has compiled a 20-30 record with a 4.77 ERA (375.2 IP - 199 ER).
Adams, 25, pitched the majority of the season with Double-A Arkansas and went 0-1 with four saves and a 3.05 ERA (41.1 IP - 14 ER) in 32 relief appearances for the Travelers. He was originally drafted by the Angels in the eighth round of the 2012 First-Year Player Draft and was selected to the Halos 40-man roster on Nov. 18. In five minor league seasons, is 8-7 with a 3.75 ERA (218.1 IP - 91 ER) and 11 saves.