Suzuki traded to A's for pitching prospect

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Updated at 1:00 p.m.

CHICAGO — The Nationals acquired Kurt Suzuki from the Athletics last August to help fill the void created by Wilson Ramos' torn ACL, and the veteran catcher responded by becoming a key part of a division championship roster.

One year later, with Ramos fully healthy and firmly establishing himself as the club's long-term answer behind the plate, the Nationals are sending Suzuki back to Oakland, where he may get a chance to help that club reach the postseason.

The Nationals dealt Suzuki to the A's late Thursday night, a club source confirmed. The trade was first reported by the Washington Times.

The Nationals acquired right-handed pitcher Dakota Bacus from the A's in exchange for Suzuki. Bacus, who will report to Hagerstown of the Single-A South Atlantic League, joins the Nationals after going 9-5 with a 3.56 ERA (48 ER/121.1 IP) in 26 games/21 starts for Beloit of the Single-A Midwest League. Bacus ranked 7th in ERA and tied for 8th in wins among A's farm hands.

Because the trade took place after the July 31 deadline, Suzuki would have needed to clear waivers or else be claimed by Oakland. That's the same process that brought him to Washington one year ago, when the first-place Nationals were desperate for catching help with Ramos rehabbing from a torn ACL and Jesus Flores struggling with a heavy workload.

Krol is final piece of Morse trade

JUPITER, Fla. -- The Nationals have acquired left-hander Ian Krol, rated as the Athletics' 12th-best prospect entering the season, as the player to be named in January's three-team trade that sent Michael Morse to Seattle.

Krol, 21, joins right-handers A.J. Cole and Blake Treinin as players picked up in the Morse deal, giving the Nationals three pitching prospects in exchange for the slugging left fielder/first baseman. Catcher John Jaso also went from Seattle to Oakland in the trade.

A seventh-round pick in the 2009 draft out of Naperville, Ill., Krol was named the Athletics' minor-league pitcher of the year in 2010 after going 10-4 with a 2.80 ERA in 28 combined games between low-Class A Kane County and high-Class A Stockton. His stock has since fallen, though, after a forearm injury and a suspension for posting a homophobic slur on his Twitter account limited him to

Morse to M's, Cole back to Nats

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Michael Morse became expendable after the Nats re-signed Adam LaRoche.

Updated at 7:50 p.m.

The Nationals have sent Michael Morse back to Seattle and are getting A.J. Cole back from Oakland in the process.

Morse was part of a three-team trade involving the Nationals, Athletics and Mariners, with Cole (one of the prospects sent to Oakland in last winter's Gio Gonzalez blockbuster) among the three players acquired by Washington, the club officially announced this evening.

The Nationals received two more players from the A's in addition Cole: minor-league right-hander Blake Treinen and another player to be named. Oakland, meanwhile, receives catcher John Jaso from Seattle.

Thus ends Morse's productive and popular, 3 1/2-year stint with the Nationals. Originally acquired from the Mariners for outfielder Ryan Langerhans in 2009, the slugger burst onto the scene two years later when he took over for an injured Adam LaRoche at first base and led the club with 31 homers, 95 RBI and a .303 batting
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