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Athletics acquire Fernando Abad from Nationals

The left-hander was designated for assignment last week.

Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

The Oakland Athletics acquired left-handed reliever Fernando Abad from the Washington Nationals in exchange for minor league outfielder John Wooten on Monday, in a move first reported by Peter Gammons of GammonsDaily.com. Abad was designated for assignment by the Nationals along with fellow left-hander Tyler Robertson last week to clear room in advance of the Rule 5 Draft.

Abad, who is almost 28, split time between the Nationals and Triple-A Syracuse in 2013, and was successful at both levels. In 39 major league games with Washington, the reliever posted a 3.35 ERA, 7.6 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9 while pitching well against right-handed hitters. With Syracuse, Abad was 1-0 with a 1.06 ERA in 17 innings of work.

In 127 appearances over four major league seasons with the Astros (2010-2012) and Nationals (2013), Abad has a lifetime 1-14 record and 4.56 ERA in 122.1 innings. His best season came in 2010 with Houston, when he was 0-1 with a 2.84 ERA in 19 innings as a rookie.

Abad joins left-handers Sean Doolittle, Jerry Blevins, Brett Anderson and Pedro Figueroa in the Athletics' bullpen mix.

Wooten, 22, was not considered a top prospect in the Athletics' system before the deal, and likely will provide organizational depth for the Nationals. In 133 games with Class-A Beloit in 2013, the former 37th round pick posted a .257 average with 20 HR and 69 RBI while playing primarily in right field.

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