The Bvich Report

BREAKING NEWS

The Washington Nationals began what could be an interesting youth movement Thursday when they made an eight player deal, acquiring outfielder Austin Kearns, shortstop Felipe Lopez and right-hander Ryan Wagner from the Reds in exchange for relievers Gary Majewski, Bill Bray and Daryl Thompson, infielder Brendan Harris and shortstop Royce Clayton.

For the Nationals, Kearns and Lopez will report with the team in Pittsburg on Friday, while Wagner will be sent to AAA New Orleans. For the Reds, Majewski, Clayton and Bray are expected to report to Cincinnati for tomorrow's game against the Colorado Rockies. Harris will report to Class AAA Louisville and Thompson to Sarasota in the Gulf Coast League.

This deal should benefit the Nationals in the long run. Lopez was the man they wanted, and they were willing to shell out some great prospects for him. In addition, Austin Kearns was a great pickup as well. A change of scenery should help him, as he has always been lost in the shadows of the crowded Reds outfield that includes Ken Griffey Jr. and Adam Dunn. Wagner will also have a new opportunity to fix up his career which has gone awry since a spectacular debut campaign in 2004.

This is a deal that should work out well for the Reds. Majewski and Bray have both been solid pitchers out of the bullpen and both have ERAs under 4.00. This should help shore up a bullpen that has an ERA of 5.32 and has blown 13 saves this season. Because Lopez was who the Nationals wanted and Juan Castro has been struggling this year, Clayton will take over at shorstop for the Reds. The prospects recieved were among the best in the Nationals system, with Harris, Bray and Thompson being the 5th, 6th and 7th ranked Nationals' prospects according to Baseball America.

This deal definitely improves both teams. The Nationals have acquired a couple of fairly young players that have put up good seasons that they can build around for next season. The Reds have picked up some very effective help for the biggest hole on their team, the bullpen. With Majewski and Bray, the Reds should be holding on to more leads in the second half of the season. If they keep bashing the ball, they will be players in the NL Central race until the final days.