Mike Rizzo is an honest man.

The Washington Nationals general manager discussed the trade that sent shortstop Danny Espinosa to the Los Angeles Angels - who skipped Nationals Winterfest due to his displeasure over the team shifting Trea Turner to shortstop following the acquisition of center fielder Adam Eaton.

"He is what he is," Rizzo said of Espinosa, according to Mark Zuckerman of MASN. "He’s a good major league player that’s got power, speed. Good defensive player. Plays every day. Played hard. Gave it 100 percent every time out there. I have no beef or problem with Danny Espinosa. Never had, and still consider him a good player that gave everything he had every time he played."

The Nationals' search for an upgrade in the outfield was extensive, having been consistently linked to Andrew McCutchen before working out a blockbuster deal to acquire Eaton, who posted a 6.2 WAR and above average defense in center field (20 defensive runs saved). Turner, meanwhile, came into the majors as a shortstop but ended up transitioning to center field last season, starting 44 games at the position.

Espinosa, it seems, was the odd man out as Eaton is expected to be the team's everyday center fielder in 2017 while Turner, a finalist for NL Rookie of the Year who hit .342/.370/.567, returns to his original position.

"I’ve been with Espi for a long time. I knew he’d be frustrated with the bench role," Rizzo said. "But to upgrade ourselves in center field with that type of player, we felt it was important to get Trea back to his natural position of shortstop."

Espinosa started 152 games at short for the Nationals this season and provided the team with some power, hitting 24 home runs and 72 RBIs - both career highs. However, he is expected to be the Angels' everyday second baseman with Gold Glove winning shortstop Andrelton Simmons at shortstop.