The Washington Times is reporting that the Nationals have traded relief pitcher Luis Ayala to the Mets for Anderson Hernandez.
Ayala, who will be a eligible for free agency for the first time this offseason, has a 5.77 ERA with 36 strikeouts and 22 walks in 57.2 innings this season. He is making $1.7MM. The Mets will have to try to fix him quickly; his control worsened this year. The Phillies and Marlins chose not to make a claim on Ayala, apparently. The reliever had been requesting a trade throughout the year.
Hernandez, a middle infielder, is hitting .203/.262/.307 in Triple A. He has limited big league experience, having appeared in 35 games for the Mets.
Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex.com and can be reached here .
