By John Nestor

The Washington Nationals bolstered their starting rotation Thursday, as they acquired lefthander Gio Gonzalez from the Oakland Athletics in exchange for pitching prospects Brad Peacock, Tommy Milone and A.J. Cole and catching prospect Derek Norris.

The trade is official pending a physical, which Gonzalez was expected to take Friday.

The Nationals turned their attention to trying to land Gonzalez after they lost out in the bidding for lefthanded starter Mark Buehrle, who signed with the Miami Marlins. Gonzalez will join a rotation that will include Stephen Strasburg, Jordan Zimmermann, John Lannan, Chien-Ming Wang and Ross Detwiler.

"I love everything about it," Gonzalez said. "I remember growing up watching Chien-Ming Wang with Yankees. You are talking about great guys in that rotation. I don't want to step on anybody's toes. I want to be a part of it as much as possible.

"Hopefully, when I break into camp with these guys, it's going to be fun. Our hard work from the offseason is going to pay off during the regular season."

Last season, Gonzalez was 16-12 with a 3.12 ERA and had 197 strikeouts in 202 innings. He will not be a free agent until after the 2016 season.

"I feel great. It's a positive thing the Nationals pulled trigger and they gave me the opportunity to go to the National League and try to compete for a playoff spot and a World Series," Gonzalez said. "After talking to (general manager) Mike Rizzo and the way he sounds, I think this is perfect. He sounds like a guy who is putting the pieces together. He wants to compete and win a title. Those are the people you want to play for."

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Nationals Acquire Lefthander Gio Gonzalez from A's