WASHINGTON (AP) - The Nationals and Cubs traded minor league pitchers Monday, with Washington getting right-hander Matt Avery and Chicago acquiring lefty Ryan Buchter.
Avery went to high school in suburban Maryland and was a college teammate of Nationals third baseman Ryan Zimmerman at Virginia.The 25-year-old reliever spent time at Class A Daytona (1-1, 1.17 ERA in five appearances) and Double-A Tennessee (4-2, 4.46 ERA in 32 appearances) in 2008.
Buchter was 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA in four games in rookie ball, and 2-2 with a 3.26 ERA in 13 relief appearances at Class A Hagerstown.
Both were drafted in 2005.
The Nationals also announced they agreed to terms with three players from the Dominican Republic: 16-year-old right-hander Pedro Encarnacion, 17-year-old infielder/outfielder Jairo Bernabel and 19-year-old outfielder Aridio Rodriguez.
