Today it was announced that the Nationals traded Lastings Milledge and Joel Hanrahan to the Pirates for Nyjer Morgan and Sean Burnett.

I actually like this trade for the Nationals and here’s why:

First, the Nationals have no defense in the outfield and Morgan only has 1 error this season. So its an instant upgrade for Nationals.

Second, he brings speed (18 SBs) which is always a good thing to have (as the Yankees show with Gardner).

Third, I like the idea of getting rid of Milledge. Yeah, he has all the potential in world, but he just doesn’t seem to be getting it and maybe another change of scenery will help him (well the Pirates are hoping so).

Lastly, Burnett is a big improvement over Hanrahan. Burnett has a 3.06ERA and Hanrahan has a 7.71 ERA. Another positive is that Burnett gives the Nationals another solid lefty option in the pen. I’m not sold that Hanrahan will be able to get it together for the Pirates…but time will tell.

Follow me on Twitter (@ MikesPickz) for continuous news from the world of Sports, Movies & Music and to see when the next blog entry has been published.