Nats acquire Gorzelanny, may be near Hairston deal

by Phil Wood

Pending a physical, the Nationals have acquired left-hander Tom Gorzelanny from the Cubs in exchange for three minor leaguers, including outfielder Michael Burgess.

Gorzelanny, 28, broke in with the Pirates in 2005, and was traded to Chicago - his hometown team - at the trade deadline in 2009. Primarily a starter, he's 36-37 with a 4.68 ERA in 118 games, including 95 starts. He's got a career strikeout-to-walk ratio of 6.6-4.1 and projects as a middle-to-back end of the rotation starter. He had his best year in the majors with the Pirates in 2007 when he went 14-10 with a 3.88 ERA in 32 starts.

Burgess, 22, was a first-round pick of the Nats in 2007 (49th overall) and batted .262 with 12 homers and 70 RBIs in 101 games at Single-A Potomac in 2010. Career-wise, he's a .257 hitter in 439 games.

The addition of Gorzelanny may mean that the Nationals will move one of their current starters, righty Jason Marquis or lefty John Lannan. Both are New York natives, and the Yankees are on the lookout for an additional veteran lefty starter, having lost out on free agent Cliff Lee and with the apparent retirement of Andy Pettitte.

The Nationals continue to pursue free agent infielder/outfielder Jerry Hairston Jr. Hairston, a 13-year veteran, played with San Diego in 2010, batting .244 with 10 homers and 50 RBIs in 119 games. He's 34 and his versatility would make Alberto Gonzalez expendable. Hairston is a third-generation major leaguer; his grandfather Sam and dad Jerry Sr. both played for the White Sox. Hairston is already well known in the market, having spent the first seven years of his big league career with the Orioles.