Associated Press CINCINNATI -- The Cincinnati Reds overhauled their rickety bullpen Thursday, getting Gary Majewski and Bill Bray in an eight-player trade that sent outfielder Austin Kearns and shortstop Felipe Lopez to the Washington Nationals. The playoff-hopeful Reds also acquired shortstop Royce Clayton, infielder Brendan Harris and pitcher Daryl Thompson from the last-place Nationals. Clayton most likely would replace Lopez, who made the All-Star Game last year. The Reds gave up reliever Ryan Wagner, a first-round pick in 2004 who has struggled the last two seasons. Cincinnati's bullpen has dragged it down the last two months, giving up the most homers in the majors. The Reds came out of the All-Star break at 45-44, trailing St. Louis by four games in the NL Central and in the middle of the wild-card race. A week ago, the Reds sent a minor leaguer to Seattle for Eddie Guardado, a former All-Star closer who will move back into the role in Cincinnati. That move allowed the Reds to shift struggling Todd Coffey back into a setup role. New owner Bob Castellini, who took control of the Reds in January, promised that the club would be aggressive in the trade market if it was in contention at midseason. The eight-player deal with Washington -- run by former Reds GM Jim Bowden -- marked a clear break with the team's cautious approach of recent years. Cincinnati has had five consecutive losing seasons, its deepest slump in 50 years. To stay in contention -- and above .500 -- the Reds have been trying to overhaul a bullpen that has ranked last in the NL much of the season. Majewski, a 26-year-old righty, was 3-2 with a 3.58 ERA in 46 games. He led the Nationals with 79 appearances last season and had a 2.93 ERA. Bray, a 23-year-old lefty, was the 13th overall pick in the June 2004 draft and was considered one of the Nationals' top pitching prospects. He was 1-1 with a 3.91 ERA in 19 relief appearances this season, his first in the majors. In order to get them, the Reds had to give up two of their everyday players. The 26-year-old Kearns was hitting .274 with 16 homers and 50 RBI. The right fielder was considered one of the team's building blocks under Bowden, who was fired midway through the 2003 season. They listened to offers from other teams over the winter, but decided to hold onto Kearns. Lopez, also 26, is hitting .268 with nine homers and 30 RBI. He failed to improve upon his breakthrough season last year, when he made his first All-Star team. --

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