Schwarber to Boston; Nats get RHP prospect

WASHINGTON -- The Nationals continued their flurry of trade movement Thursday night when they acquired right-handed pitching prospect Aldo Ramirez from the Red Sox in exchange for veteran left fielder Kyle Schwarber.

Ramirez, 20, was ranked as Boston’s No. 19 prospect, per MLB Pipeline. He is 1-1 with a 2.03 ERA (eight starts) in Low-A this season. Ramirez has been hot as of late, throwing 14 consecutive scoreless frames across his last three starts. Signed out of the Mexican League at 16 years old, he is 4-6 with a 2.72 ERA and 112 strikeouts over three seasons in the Minor Leagues.

The Nats parted ways with Schwarber as they overhauled their roster to acquire young prospects and building blocks for their future. This move came less than 24 hours before Friday’s 4 p.m. ET Trade Deadline, the same day in which the Nationals went into sell mode. They are nearing a blockbuster deal to send ace Max Scherzer and standout shortstop Trea Turner to the Dodgers for four prospects, and they're working on a trade to send reliever Daniel Hudson to the Padres for two more prospects. They also dealt closer Brad Hand to the Blue Jays for Minor League catcher Riley Adams on Thursday afternoon.

In spite of being sidelined since early July by a significant right hamstring strain, Schwarber was an appealing trade target for teams looking for a left-handed bat.

The seven-year veteran went on a historic home run-hitting streak during his first season in Washington. Schwarber garnered National League Player of the Month honors for June, in which he hit 16 homers. He tied Albert Belle’s 1995 mark for most home runs in a 10-game stretch, and he tied Sammy Sosa and Barry Bonds with 16 dingers in an 18-game span. Schwarber, who hit .253/.340/.570 in 72 games this year, earned his first All-Star selection in July, and he was eyeing a return in August.

With a sense of leadership and encouragement for his teammates, Schwarber urged Nationals fans on June 13 to “stay with us now, all right? Stay with us.” Washington then won 10 of 11 games as they made a push in the NL East prior to Schwarber’s injury.