MLB Trade Wrap-Up

By Brickyard Briggs SportsFanatics columnist

The Major League Baseball trade deadline passed last week, amid a flurry of admittedly unexciting transactions. Here's a look at all the trades that happened, at or near the deadline.

* Astros trade SP Scott Elarton and a PTBNL (player to be named later) to Colorado for SP Pedro Astacio

Mark my words. Scott Elarton will crash and burn in Colorado. Nothing against Scott, he's a fine major league pitcher, however, his pitching repertoire is too reminiscent of Darryl Kile's for success at Coors Field to be much of an option. Elarton's slow curveball, one of his primary pitches, will be rendered useless at his new home field.

The Astros, meanwhile, acquired a solid middle of the rotation pitcher, at a loony salary. They will benefit in the short term, I suppose, from Astacio, but they'll soon find his salary crippling, and he really won't make much of a difference.

At least the Rockies are going to cost less when they suck next season.

* Twins trade OF Matt Lawton to the Mets for SP Rick Reed * Twins trade SP Mark Redman to the Tigers for RP Todd Jones

Children, point and laugh at the Twins.

Now, imagine you're Twins GM Terry Ryan. Your team's primary problem is a lack of offense. So, what should you do?

If you answered, "Trade my outfielder, and leadoff hitter, the one with the .396 OBP for a 36-year-old starter in the first year of a $21 million three year deal," then you're qualified to run the Twins.

In trading for Rick Reed, Ryan has acquired a new fourth starter, who will start at most one playoff game per series.

Hey, that's what Mark Redman was for them, wasn't it? So that means he traded Matt Lawton for a man that was not good enough to close games for the Detroit Tigers. It also show a lack of class on Ryan's part, to trade longtime Twin sufferer Lawton now that the team is finally winning (thanks in no small part to Lawton, I might add).

* Giants trade OF Armando Rios and SP Ryan Vogelsong to the Pirates for SP Jason Schmidt and OF John Vander Wal * Giants trade P Kevin Joseph and a PTBNL to the Cardinals for RP Jason Christiansen * Giants trade IF Felipe Crespo to the Phillies for Wayne Gomes * Giants trade minor leaguers Erasmo Ramirez, Chris Magruder and Todd Ozias to the Rangers for 1B Andres Galarraga

Well, the Giants haven't lost in nine games since acquiring Galarraga, and Jason Schmidt recently threw a one hitter. Suffice it to say Brian Sabean still has a knack for deadline trades.

What I find most remarkable is how, aside from Vogelsong, nothing of any real value was traded. Armando Rios is a 30-year-old platoon outfielder, I don't know if Felipe Crespo could be a less effective player if he tried, and the rest are all grade-B prospects. Ryan Vogelsong, meanwhile, reminds many of, well, Jason Schmidt. Some scouts are of the opinion that Vogelsong's delivery will lead to arm troubles, much like with Schmidt.

However, one thing Sabean needs to be wary of, is emptying out his farm system. You can only trade so many prospects before it catches up with you.

That said, no team has been a bigger winner during this summer of trading than the Giants have been. Brian Sabean has supplemented his bullpen, added a dependable starter to his rotation, added a first baseman who can hit, and a better platoon outfielder.

* Expos trade RP Ugueth Urbina and $1 million to the Red Sox for SPs Tomokazu Ohka and Rich Rundles

If Ohka can get quality instruction in Montreal, he has all the tools to become a quality major league starting pitcher. However, given his slight frame, he may never have the endurance to be more than a six inning starter. Rundles is an A-ball lefty putting up dandy numbers.

Ugueth Urbina will keep Rod Beck from appearing in Red Sox games with alarming frequency, which every Boston fan appreciates. Urbina is not what he once was, but can still be an effective reliever, and more importantly, might prevent Red Sox raving lunatic/manager Jimy Williams from overusing Beck, Rich Garces and Derek Lowe in such a heinous fashion, restoring the three of them to more consistent effectiveness

The Jimy Williams/Joe Kerrigan pitching instruction machine had all but destroyed Ohka, so it made sense to cut bait on him. At least they picked up a veteran reclamation project for him. Kerrigan actually has a good track record with them.

* Royals trade SS Rey Sanchez to the Braves for P Brad Voyles and IF Alejandro Machado

I'm not including the Jermaine Dye trade in this analysis, so, in short, here is my commentary on that trade: Royals GM Allard Baird is stupid.

That said, he recovered nicely from having both Rey Sanchez and Rey Sanchez's younger twin, Neifi Perez. Voyles is 24, but has put up ERAs in the 1.00's at Single and Double-A. Machado is 19, and has limited potential.

It's sort of a shame, though, that they're all the Royals have to show for Jermaine Dye.

* Astros trade SP Tony McKnight to the Pirates for RP Mike Williams

Bravo, Pittsburgh. McKnight is a quality young arm with a lot of potential, who looks nice with Benson, Ritchie and Vogelsong in your rotation of the future.

Mike Williams throws a sinker. And now plays in Enron Field. He will not, however, play especially well in Enron Field. One-trick pitchers very seldom do. His numbers are solid, but I expect that to change soon.

* Expos trade OF Milton Bradley to the Indians for P Zach Day

Bradley is something of a mental patient, so I imagine he'll fit right in with the Indians, where he is now the heir to Kenny Lofton in center field.

Day is left over from the David Justice deal, and is putting up respectable numbers at Double-A. He's not much, but at least the Expos no longer have to deal with Milton Bradley not playing particularly well and referring to himself in the third person.

* Padres trade P Sterling Hitchcock to the Yankees for P Brett Jodie and OF Darren Blakely

The Padres must have either felt really bad about robbing the Yankees blind in the Jay Witasick trade, or really thought Hitchcock was washed up, to make this trade.

Red Sox pitching rehab expert Joe Kerrigan feels that it takes a pitcher 20 months to fully recover from Tommy John surgery. Hitchcock underwent his ligament replacement surgery 13 months ago, so the Yankees may not get a lot out of him right now.

The Padres, meanwhile, will get nothing out of him ever, having traded for two nothing prospects.

* Cubs trade P Manny Aybar and a PTBNL to the Devil Rays for 1B Fred McGriff * Cubs trade P Ruben Quevedo and Peter Zoccolillo to the Brewers for RP David Weathers and Rob Miniel

Fred McGriff will be an asset to the Cubs lineup now that he's finally waived his no-trade clause, and the Devil Rays save more money.

Hey, if you're going to lose 110 games, you ought to at least not have players that cost much, right?

David Weathers is a journeyman having a career year, and the Cubs have parted with Quevedo, who is a favorite of many scouts, to have him. Weathers may or may not help in the short term, but this could be a trade that comes back to haunt Chicago.

* Mets trade RPs Turk Wendell and Dennis Cook to the Phillies for Ps Bruce Chen and Adam Walker

Wendell and Cook are useful veteran relievers, however, teams that are out of playoff contention in July tend not to need pricey veteran relievers.

Many feel that Bruce Chen, if he changes his approach, can become an effective major league starter again. He is still only 24. He's a good acquisition for the future, as is Walker, who has posted quality numbers at Double-A.

Wendell and Cook bolster the Phillies bullpen, which is something they seem fond of doing (see: overpaying for Rheal Cormier and Jose Mesa in the offseason).

* Dodgers trade P Chris Foster and C Geronimo Gil to the Orioles for Mike Trombley * Dodgers trade P Mike Fetters and Adrian Burnside to the Pirates for Terry Mulholland * Dodgers trade P Onan Masaoka, Gary Majewski and Jeff Barry to the White Sox for James Baldwin

The Dodgers acquire three veteran pitchers for the pennant run, for a stack of players not worth much to them. Fetters and Burnside are dead weight, and the Pirates are just happy to be rid of Mulholland's salary.

James Baldwin has injury history, but if healthy, can help fill in for all the injured Dodger starters. The three minor leaguers the White Sox received won't help them much, though Masaoka, a lefty, might be able to emerge in the bullpen at some point.

Trombley, the most useful veteran the Dodgers acquired, also cost the most. Gil had been solid as the main catcher for Los Angeles' Triple-A team, and Foster, who can throw 95, had been closing for them. The Orioles could potentially find them both to be useful players.

So, in conclusion:

* The Winners: Giants, Mets, Rick Reed, Pirates, Andres Galarraga. * The Losers: Twins, Royals, Matt Lawton, Mariners (for ignoring their holes).

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Article courtesy of Sportsfanatics.net.