Reds get Majewski, Bray, Clayton, Harris, Thompson from Nationals

[redlegsfan21]

CINCINNATI -- The Cincinnati Reds today acquired from the Washington Nationals RHP Gary Majewski, LHP Bill Bray, SS Royce Clayton, IF Brendan Harris and RHP Daryl Thompson in exchange for OF Austin Kearns, SS Felipe Lopez and RHP Ryan Wagner.
Majewski, Clayton and Bray are expected to report to Cincinnati in time for tomorrow's 7:10 p.m. game against the Colorado Rockies. Corresponding roster moves will be announced when they arrive. Harris will report to Class AAA Louisville and Thompson to Sarasota in the Gulf Coast League.

To fill the roster spots of Kearns and Lopez for tonight's game, the Reds have recalled from Louisville OF Chris Denorfia and IF William Bergolla.

Majewski, 26, participated in the World Baseball Classic as a member of Team USA. He has posted a 3.27 ERA with 2 saves in 141 career relief appearances for the Montreal Expos and Nationals. Last season for Washington, Majewski recorded a 2.93 ERA while leading the pitching staff with 79 appearances, a franchise record for a rookie. During the first half of this season he went 3-2 with a 3.58 ERA and begins the second half ranked T5th among all Major League pitchers with 46 games pitched.

Bray, 23, was selected by the Expos with the 13th pick overall of the first round of the 2004 first-year player draft and entered this season already ranked as one of the best prospects in Washington's minor league system. He made his Major League debut this season and has posted a 3.91 ERA in 19 relief appearances. Also this season Bray went 4-1 with a 3.98 ERA and 5 saves in 21 relief appearances at Class AAA New Orleans.

Clayton, a National League All-Star in 1997, entered the 2006 season ranked second among active shortstops in games, starts, innings, total chances, putouts, assists and double plays. In each of those categories he trailed only 10-time Gold Glove Award winner Omar Vizquel. His career fielding percentage of .974 fielding percentage entering this year ranked seventh among all Major League shortstops.

In his career Clayton has a .259 batting average and 223 stolen bases in 1,981 games for the Giants, Cardinals, Rangers, White Sox, Brewers, Rockies, Diamondbacks and Nationals. He has appeared in 13 post-season games. This season for the Nats, Clayton is hitting .269 with 22 doubles and 8 stolen bases in 87 appearances.

Harris, 25, originally was selected by the Chicago White Sox in the fifth round of the 2001 first-year player draft and was sent to the Nationals on July 31, 2004 as part of a 4-team deadline deal that also sent SS Nomar Garciaparra to the Cubs and SS Orlando Cabrera to the Red Sox. This season, he appeared in 17 games for the Nationals and hit .283 with 5 HR and 32 RBI in 59 games for New Orleans.

Thompson, 20, was selected by the Expos in the eighth round of the 2003 first-year player draft and entered this season ranked as Washington's 10th-best minor league prospect. This season for Vermont in the Class A New York-Penn League he went 0-1 with a 6.75 ERA in 4 starts.

Kearns, 26, this season for the Reds hit .274 with 16 HR and 50 RBI in 87 appearances.

Lopez, 26, during the season's first half hit .268 with 9 HR and 30 RBI in 85 games.

Wagner, 23, has spent the entire season in the minor leagues at Louisville, where he has posted a 6.34 ERA in 35 relief appearances.

Denorfia last night played for the International League in the Triple-A All-Star Game in Toledo and went 1-for-3 with 2 runs scored. This season he hit .347 with 14 stolen bases in 70 games for Louisville and has appeared in 7 games during 2 stints with the Reds (4/3-4/8, 5/4-5/10). He was the organization's Minor League Player of the Month for April. Bergolla is hitting .250 with 7 steals in 73 games for the Bats.

http://cincinnati.reds.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/press_releases/press_release.jsp?ymd=20060713&content_id=1554997&vkey=pr_cin&fext=.jsp&c_id=cin

[storrs19]

Trading youth for experience again... Seems everyone only cares about now and not the future. Better watch Homer Bailey real good as he will be traded before he gets to GAB if this keeps up. JMHO but I am very dissatisfied with this trade. So now our shortstops are 34 and 36 years old. How much do they have in them and how is their SB compared to Lopez?
They should have gotten rid of the bullpen pitchers who are past it before the season started.

[Knick9]

I know that Reds management focused on pitching, and it's important, but Cincy gave up both Lopez and Kearns??? You're kidding me. Well, this trade may have broken the Reds... :ughh

[Joltin Joe Giradio]

Wow, this is a disastrous trade for your Reds. By trading away two starting players, both of whom have All Star potential and many yrs ahead, you didn't even get a single player who'll have a significant impact back. Plus, Wagner still could turn out to be a good pitcher. The best player you got back is Gary Majewski? Are you kiddin' me?

This isn't quite Kazmir for V Zambrano (I'm a Met fan), but it's horrible.

What if Griff goes down again? You don't even have Pena anymore for the OF.

[DoubleX]

Don't quite get this trade for the Reds. Sure it bolsters their bullpen, but surely they could have parlayed Felipe Lopez and Austin Kearns into something better. Lopez is a little down this year, but he's still young with good upside. Kearns is having a nice year too and might just be starting to come around.

[baseballPAP]

Lopez is a Scott Boras client, and due for a monster raise after next season. The Reds were hoping to sell high on him. Denorfia has been ready for 2 years in AAA, so dealing Kearns make ssense in that respect too. Wagner=flop, and a big one. Mid 90s fastball with a slider he can't get over means he's not a MLB quality pitcher, and never will be with only 2 good pitches.

Now then....what the hell were they thinking with the return they got? Royce"I can't believe I still ahve a job" Clayton? Majewski...helps the unbelievably bad BP. The rest are prospects....not exactly the kind of deal a team fighting for the wild card makes normally.

I rest firmly on the fence....but only because I knew it was coming.

[storrs19]

I admit our bullpen needs help. One look at the game last night (Thursday) will reveal that. Jason Standridge comes on and gives up 4 runs (3 earned) in one inning. I sure as heck hope he packed his bags last night. IMHO the bullpen is the sole reason we are where we are and not 10 to 12 games over .500. I agree with getting bullpen help but I don't like seeing our young guys being traded away. We're in the second half now and we all know how Griffey has done over the last 3 second halves, especially 2003 and 2004.

[W_Marone]

That's the biggest reason this trade went down, the Reds are making a strong push to get to the playoffs this year. They started with Guardado and now the Nats guys. I just don't like the reds trading away some of thier good young talent at short and outfield for a couple "solid" bullpen guys and the old Royce Clayton. I think the nationals made a great trade however, in their pursuit to gain a little youth to make a push in a few years.

[Joltin Joe Giradio]

This is a total butt rape for the Nats. If all Krivisky wanted back was a couple of middle relievers (unless you want to count Clayton as worth mentioning), the Mets coulda given you Feliciano and Bradford plus Woodward for those 2.

If I was a Red fan, I would be outraged at your GM. I was outraged beyond belief when that idiot Duquette (with pressure from the even stupider Wilpons no doubt) dealt away Kazmir for garbage.

I can't believe some of you guys are trying to justify the deal. There were some Met fans trying to say how overhyped Kazmir was and how Zambrano was underrated. I think they thought they were getting Carlos instead of Victor LOL. Those Met fans are kinda quiet now.

[Solair Wright]

Well, Victor Zambrano after this season is very liable to getting released, and on an unrelated note, OF Quinton McCracken is no longer a Red, as he's released. :waving Now that recycled garbage has room made for, the Reds can finally get some decent room now.

Edit: Estaban Yan, who was acquired in a trade a month or two ago, was designated for assignment today. What is going on with the Reds?

[redlegsfan21]

I'm somewhat surprised that Yan got designated because of his 3.60 ERA with the Reds.

[Fuzzy Bear]

I know that Reds management focused on pitching, and it's important, but Cincy gave up both Lopez and Kearns??? You're kidding me. Well, this trade may have broken the Reds... :ughh

I think so, too. Giving up Lopez and Kearns and replacing Lopez with ROYCE CLAYTON??? Right there, you lost me.

[baseballPAP]

This is a total butt rape for the Nats. If all Krivisky wanted back was a couple of middle relievers (unless you want to count Clayton as worth mentioning), the Mets coulda given you Feliciano and Bradford plus Woodward for those 2.

If I was a Red fan, I would be outraged at your GM. I was outraged beyond belief when that idiot Duquette (with pressure from the even stupider Wilpons no doubt) dealt away Kazmir for garbage.

I can't believe some of you guys are trying to justify the deal. There were some Met fans trying to say how overhyped Kazmir was and how Zambrano was underrated. I think they thought they were getting Carlos instead of Victor LOL. Those Met fans are kinda quiet now.

Hard to argue his results so far. His acquistions, for basically fodder, include 2 starters and an All-Star. What I wonder is....which one of the Nats OFers is going next? None of the 3 (Guillen, Kearns, Soriano) should be in center. So is the likely next move Soriano to NY for a couple prospects?

[redlegsfan21]

I don't believe that Royce Clayton is going to be the starter next year. From what I have heard on 700 WLW, the AAA Louisville manager says the key to his team's turnaround is Ray Olmedo,, plus William Bergolla is in the system.

[riverfrontier]

I'm still trying to let this trade sink in. I've done the homework on who we got, and still can't see how we couldn't have done much better if we had waited a week or two. As I see it, pease porridge cold.

[Joltin Joe Giradio]

How are you guys liking Majewski so far?
Lopez and Kearns have sucked even more though. But that's due more to being unhappy to the trade than lack of talent. Majewski, on the other hand, is an ok middle reliever, that's it.

Perhaps both sides lose LOL.

Do Lopez and Kearns have so little value that the best Kriv could get was Majewski and Bray? Or was Kriv simply too impatient? I would guess the latter.

[storrs19]

I am very happy with Guardado for sure 5-5 for saves. Bill Bray looks great too. Majewski I think will be alright, maybe he just needs to settle in. Only time will tell I suppose.

[Joltin Joe Giradio]

Bray has been ok. That's the only saving grace from this disaster of a trade for Kriv. Majewski... just uttering the name makes me laugh. He's awful. And now he's awful and hurt. LOL

[DoWnWiThTheSiCkNeSs]

Bray has been good, Majewski has blown and now hes on the DL, Guardado has been the best acquisition