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Reaction To The Gio Gonzalez Trade

The Nationals were the winners of the Gio Gonzalez sweepstakes, acquiring the left-hander from the A's today for a package of four well-regarded prospects: A.J. Cole, Tom Milone, Derek Norris and Brad Peacock.  Here's a look at some of the reaction and analysis of this blockbuster trade...

• The Nats didn't want to give up both Peacock and Milone but eventually acquiesced, reports Amanda Comak of the Washington Times.  Comak points out that the Nats have found themselves with a left-handed starter who is younger and less expensive than their first target this offseason, Mark Buehrle.
• Washington's recent strong drafts gave the team enough prospect depth to make this deal possible, notes Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com.  The Nationals "improved their rotation to the point where they may be a contender," Heyman writes.  
• "I don’t know how Oakland could have done better,” a scout tells Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle.  “They got the right set of names....Quality and depth.”
• A rival evaluator tells ESPN's Buster Olney (via Twitter) that Peacock reminds him of former Twins starter Brad Radke.  "I'm not sure that in two years, Peacock will [be] better than Gio," the evaluator said.
• The A's have made two "brilliant hauls" in their trades of Gonzalez and Trevor Cahill, opines MLB.com's Tom Singer (Twitter link).  The A's received Jarrod Parker, Collin Cowgill and Ryan Cook from the Diamondbacks in exchange for Cahill and Craig Breslow two weeks ago.
• ESPN's Keith Law (Insider subscription required) is not overly impressed with Gonzalez, believing his success to have been at least in part due to the pitcher-friendly Oakland ballpark and the Athletics' defense.  It seems as if Law considers the trade a win for the A's, calling their return haul "a substantial reward" and praising Cole as the new top prospect in Oakland's system. 

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