According to the Washington Times, the Mets have traded middle infielder Anderson Hernandez to the Washington Nationals for relief pitcher Luis Ayala.
Ayala, 30, is 1-8 on the season with a 5.77 ERA in 57.2 innings pitched. Prior to this season, Ayala had a career 3.19 ERA over four seasons in 274.2 innings pitched. He is also an impending free agent.
Anderson Hernandez was only hitting .188 in Triple-A and with the emergence of young second baseman Argenis Reyes on the major league roster, it was only a matter of time before Hernandez was a goner.
Ayala will join the team on Monday.
The mere fact that the Mets received anything for him was a gift in itself. It’s a low-risk, high reward type trade.
Pete Lappin (3)
