Minnesota Twins Trade Denard Span to Washington Nationals for Pitcher Alex Meyer

Thursday, the Minnesota Twins dealt outfielder Denard Span to the Washington Nationals for the Nationals top pitching prospect Alex Meyer.

The Twins almost made a deal at the trade deadline last year, but couldn't work out a deal until now.

Last year, Span hit .283/.342/.395 with 17 stolen bases. He played in 128 games for the Twins. Span also came cheap for the Nationals. His salary for next season is 4.75 million.

For the Twins, Meyer is 6-foot-9 and a former first-round pick in 2011. He struck out 139 batters in 129 innings with a 2.86 ERA for two Nationals Class A teams in 2012. He can throw in the upper 90s.

For the Twins, they can now use Ben Revere full-time in centerfield, and potentially it may be time to meet prospect Aaron Hicks.