Greg Otto, wtop.com

WASHINGTON – The Washington Nationals have acquired left-handed pitcher Gio Gonzalez from the Oakland Athletics for a number of prospects.

First reported on Twitter by ESPN’s Keith Law, The Nationals will send right-handed pitchers A.J. Cole and Brad Peacock, left-handed pitcher Tom Milone and catcher Derek Norris to Oakland in exchange for the 26-year-old pitcher.

Gonzalez was 16-12 with a 3.12 ERA in 32 starts for Oakland in 2011, throwing over 200 innings. He is 38-32 lifetime, with a career ERA of 3.93.

With the acquisition of Gonzalez, the Nationals expect him to part of a 2012 rotation that will also feature Stephen Strasburg, Jordan Zimmermann, John Lannan and Chien Ming-Wang.

Peacock, Cole and Norris were among the top ten prospects in the Nationals’ farm system, according to Baseball America.

Peacock spent most of 2011 in at the Double-A level, going 10-2 with a 2.01 ERA with the Harrisburg Senators. He made three appearances with the big league team towards the end of the 2011 season.

Cole, a fourth-round draft pick in 2010, was 4-7 with a 4.04 ERA at Single-A Hagerstown last season.

Milone made five starts for the Nationals last season, going 1-0 with a 3.81 ERA.

Norris hit .210 for the Senators in 2011, with 20 home runs and 46 RBI.

Gonzalez’s contract leaves him under the Nationals’ control through 2015.

Follow WTOP on Twitter.

(Copyright 2011 by WTOP. All rights reserved.)