The Washington Nationals emerged as surprise winners in the Gio Gonzalez sweepstakes, trading four prospects to the Oakland Athletics on Thursday in exchange for the talented left-handed starter.

Suddenly, the Nationals have assembled a pitching trio that will be under club control for several years and figures to put them in the thick of the National League East hunt during that period.

Gonzalez will join 2010 first overall pick Stephen Strasburg and another talented right-hander, Jordan Zimmermann, atop the rotation. Gonzalez earned his first All-Star honor on his way to a 16-12 season in which he struck out 197 in 202 innings.

The trade was first reported by ESPN's Keith Law.

The Nationals did pay a steep price in young, albeit largely unproven, talent. The Athletics will receive two pitchers, Brad Peacock and Tom Milone, who shot quickly through the Nationals system and made major league debuts with Washington late in the 2011 season. Milone posted a 3.81 ERA in five starts, while Peacock had a solid 12-inning audition coming off an outstanding minor league season spent mostly at Class AA Harrisburg (Pa.)

In addition, Oakland will get catching prospect Derek Norris and another pitcher, A.J. Cole, who hasn't pitched above low Class A. Cole, however, was ranked as high as No. 2 on various Nationals prospects lists entering this season and turns 20 next month.

Norris had an excellent 2009 campaign at low-A Hagerstown (Md.), but has been stalled by injuries and ineffectiveness each of the past two seasons. He could profile as a first baseman in Oakland if the A's hold onto incumbent catcher Kurt Suzuki for the long term.

The trade certainly speaks to the Nationals' drafting ability in recent years. Norris and Cole were fourth-round picks, while Milone was a 10th-rounder and Peacock a 41st-rounder.

Add this quartet to the stash of players the A's hope will be maturing around the time they hope to move into a new ballpark. That line of thinking prompted them to trade another young ace, Trevor Cahill, to the Arizona Diamondbacks earlier this month.

Gonzalez attracted significant attention on the trade market because he will be arbitration-eligible for just the first time this season, and can't become a free agent until after the 2015 season. The Boston Red Sox, Toronto Blue Jays and Detroit Tigers were among the clubs making inquiries on Gonzalez at various points this offseason.