Reassembling the 2005 Cavaliers

The Nats made a minor move today, swapping pitchers with the Cubbies. Leaving the farm, 21-year old lefty reliever Ryan Buchter, who pitched 24 good innings between Rookie and Low-A ball this season, but has otherwise been unremarkable in 70 innings over 3 seasons. In exchange the Nats get 25-year old righthander Matt Avery, who's put up a pedestrian mid-4 ERA over two stints at AA the last two seasons.

Normally I don't like minor league pitching swaps that make the Nats older and less left-handed, but I'll make an exception in this case because it stocks the minors with another member of the 2005 Virginia Cavaliers. Avery played with Zimm at UVA and was the next Wahoo drafted in '05 after Dutch. And that was a pretty good Virginia team, reaching the regionals at the College World Series that season.

Still needed to complete the set: Jeff Kamrath, Mike Ballard, Tom Hagan (also a punter for the footbawlin' Hoos), Sean Doolittle (tearing up the A's minors), Brandon Guyer, Casey Lambert, Beau Seabury, Mike Mitchell and Pat McAnaney (an Arizona draftee). Go to work boys.

In other news, NFA has the goods on the disturbingly undersized 2008 class of international signees. Apparently, "The Plan" is not valid in the D.R., Venezuela, or the Far East. Dang fine print.