The Nationals added a minor league power arm to their 40-man roster on Wednesday.
Right-handed pitcher Jimmy Cordero was acquired from their National League East rival Philadelphia Phillies in exchange for a player to be named later or cash considerations. Cordero has been added to the Nationals’ roster and will join the team in spring training.
The 25-year-old is 10-12 with a 3.80 ERA in a five-year minor-league career. He was originally signed as a free agent by the Toronto Blue Jays and was acquired by the Phillies at the 2015 trade deadline along with pitcher Alberto Tirado in exchange for outfielder Ben Revere.
The Phillies were excited for Cordero’s potential as he possessed a triple-digit fastball, according to CSNPhilly.com. He was invited to spring training this past season and even looked like a potential closer for the Phillies.
“We think Cordero has the weapons to be a back-end reliever,” Phillies general manager Matt Klentak told Mlb.com in December 2015. “We’ll see. But sometimes in the minor leagues, the development of the player takes precedent over the role that they serve in. But we definitely like the kid’s future.
A shoulder injury in spring training held Cordero out of action until July 1. Cordero wasn’t able to get on track after that. He posted a 5.64 ERA in 18 appearances between Single-A Clearwater, Double-A Reading and Triple-A Lehigh Valley. He struck out just 12 in 22 1/3 innings.
The Nationals are taking a flyer that Cordero is young enough that his potential can still shine. Prior to last season’s struggles, Cordero had a 2.80 ERA in 54 2/3 innings at Double-A in 2015.
He has appeared in just one game above Double-A, a 1 1/3 inning outing with Triple-A Lehigh Valley this season.
MLBPipeline.com ranked Cordero as the Phillies’ 25th-best prospect.
Cordero was designated for assignment by the Phillies on Nov. 18 to make room on their 40-man roster. The Phillies had 10 days to place him on waivers, trade him, release him or outright him to the minor leagues.
“Aa year ago at this time, we were pretty high on Jimmy,” Klentak told the Delaware County (Pa.) Daily Times last week. “His year was not as productive as we had hoped and as he had hoped. It becomes a numbers game. That may sound cliche, but truly that’s the reality of it. We like him a lot and we would love to keep him in the organization, if possible.”
The move came prior to the deadline for teams to add eligible prospects to their 40-man roster in order to protect them from next month’s Rule 5 draft. The draft will be held on Dec. 8 during the Winter Meetings to be held at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center at National Harbor.
The Nationals’ 40-man roster now stands at 38 players.
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