The New York Yankees have acquired outfielder Justin Maxwell from the Washington Nationals in a trade for minor-league pitcher Adam Adam Olbrychowski.
From the release:
Maxwell, 27, batted .144 with three home runs and 12 RBIs in 67 games for Washington last season. He also played in 66 games at Triple-A Syracuse, batting .287 with six home runs and 21 RBIs.
Olbrychowski, 24, was a fifth-round selection of the Yankees in the 2007 Free-Year Player Draft. Olbrychowski pitched most of last season at Class A Tampa, going 3-2 with a 4.02 ERA in 30 games (one start).
He also made two relief appearances at Double-A Trenton, where he had no record and a 2.08 ERA. In four Minor League seasons, Olbrychowski is 16-17 with a 4.17 ERA over 100 games (35 starts).
The Yankees recently signed veteran Andruw Jones to be their fourth outfielder. Maxwell will likely compete with Colin Curtis and Greg Golson for the fifith outfielder role, if the Yankees keep that many outfielders on the 25-man roster.
Maxwell had Tommy John surgery on his elbow in October, but said he does not believe the elbow will be an issue this season.