CINCINNATI (AP) -The Reds have filed a grievance against the Washington Nationals over the trade that brought sore-shouldered reliever Gary Majewski to Cincinnati last season.
The Reds contend that Nationals general manager Jim Bowden failed to inform them of Majewski’s shoulder problems when they got the right-hander as part of an eight-player deal last July 13.
Majewski has struggled since joining the Reds, and is in the minors this season.
Major League Baseball spokesman Patrick Courtney confirmed the grievance on Saturday. Baseball officials will gather information about the disputed deal, and could decide to let it stand or force the teams to amend it.
There is no timetable for resolving the dispute, which has been simmering since last August. Reds general manager Wayne Krivsky declined to comment on Saturday.
The Nationals received shortstop Felipe Lopez and outfielder Austin Kearns, two of the Reds’ regulars.
Majewski and left-handed reliever Bill Bray were keys to the deal for Cincinnati, which desperately needed help in its bullpen. Majewski did poorly when he arrived in Cincinnati, compiling a 12.54 ERA in 11 appearances.
Majewski went on the disabled list on Aug. 7 after telling the team that his shoulder had bothered him all season and that he got a cortisone shot before the All-Star break. Krivsky has said that the Nationals didn’t mention the cortisone shot when they were negotiating the trade.
Bowden, a former Cincinnati GM, has said the Reds received all the information that they requested.
The Reds have been considering a grievance since they learned of the cortisone shot. Majewski returned at the end of last season and had a 1.59 ERA in eight appearances.
His problems returned this spring, when weakness in the shoulder limited him to two appearances. Majewski has gone 1-1 with a 5.54 ERA in 13 appearances for Triple-A Louisville this season.
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