Salary relief and low minor flyers would have been wins for Hand and Lester. Getting salary relief along with guys who at worst will be valuable backups is a home run.
The Dodgers trade will take years to sort out. I'm not certain the Dodgers can "lose" the trade since they're going for it and they traded for two studs. But how the return for the Nationals plays out will determine if the Nationals made a smart trade or completely misevaluated the prospects.