Los Angeles: The Los Angeles Angels acquired veteran infielder Yunel Escobar from the Washington Nationals in exchange for reliever Trevor Gott on Thursday.

Washington will also receive a minor-league prospect to be named.

Escobar, 33, batted .314 with nine homers and 56 RBIs while playing third base for the Nationals last season. He has a .281 career average over nine seasons with the Atlanta Braves, Toronto Blue Jays, Tampa Bay Rays and Nationals.

Gott, 23, had a 3.02 ERA in 47 2/3 innings of relief for the Angels last season. He was originally drafted by the San Diego Padres and was sent to the Angels in 2014 as part of the deal in which Los Angeles acquired Huston Street from San Diego.

Meanwhile, free agent left-handed reliever Tony Sipp and the Houston Astros agreed to a three-year, $18 million (Dh66 million) contract.

Sipp was stellar for Houston last season with 62 strikeouts in 54 1/3 innings and a 1.99 ERA.

The St. Louis Cardinals retained the services of right-handed reliever Jonathan Broxton with a two-year contract, the club announced.

Broxton, 31, agreed to a $7.5 million deal with a full no-trade clause. He will receive $3.75 million in each of the next two seasons.

The Colorado Rockies reached agreement with first baseman Mark Reynolds on a one-year, $2.6 million contract, according to reports.

The 32-year-old Reynolds spent last season with the St. Louis Cardinals and finished with a .230 batting average, 13 home runs and 48 RBIs in 382 at-bats. The nine-year veteran has a .230 career average with 237 homers and 661 RBIs.

The Pittsburgh Pirates signed right-handed reliever Juan Nicasio to a one-year contact, reportedly worth $3 million.

Nicasio, 29, was 1-3 with a 3.86 ERA in 52 appearances for the Los Angeles Dodgers last season. The Dodgers recently decided not to tender Nicasio, which made him a free agent.

Right-hander reliever Shawn Kelley and the Washington Nationals were closing in on a three-year deal.

Multiple outlets report a contract could be finalized, and ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick cited sources in reporting it was worth between $15 million and $16 million. Kelley had a 2.45 ERA in 51 1/3 innings with the San Diego Padres last season.

Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Tyler Goeddel was the top pick in Major League Baseball’s Rule 5 draft at the winter meetings.

Goeddel was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies, who selected first in the 2014 Rule 5 draft and chose Texas Rangers outfielder Odubel Herrera. He hit .297 with 16 stolen bases as a rookie in 2015.

Players chosen in the Rule 5 draft must remain on the selecting team’s 25-man major league roster for the entire season or be offered back to his original team.