There are blockbuster trades. There are rebuilding trades. There are salary dumps. There are "change-of-scenery" trades. And then there are trades like this. The Detroit Tigers have acquired a 1998 third-round pick from the Kansas City Royals in exchange for a 1997 fifth-round pick and a 1998 fourth-round pick. That's it. That's the trade. No players. No salary implications. No franchise-altering decisions. Just two general...
At this point, I'm convinced the Baltimore Orioles are just wandering around the league asking if anyone has a spare first-round pick they'd like to part with. Because somehow they've done it again. The Orioles have traded franchise center fielder Kenny Lofton to the Orlando Devil Rays in exchange for a 2000 first-round pick, pitcher Dale Polley, and outfielder Jon Zuber. And just like most of Baltimore's trades this offseason, the players...
One of the benefits of writing hundreds of words about every trade is that eventually you're going to be wrong. One of the downsides of writing hundreds of words about every trade is that everyone remembers when you're wrong. So let's get this out of the way. I still think the San Diego Padres overpaid for Jeromy Burnitz. There. I said it. You can yell at me in the comments. But I do owe an apology on the Denny Neagle portion of that deal....
Well, that didn't take long. As expected, Chris Nabholz's tenure with the Baltimore Orioles lasted approximately long enough to unpack his bags, try a crab cake, and realize he was getting traded again. The Orioles have shipped Nabholz to the Colorado Rockies in exchange for the 14th overall pick in the upcoming draft, continuing what has become one of the more fascinating asset-conversion projects of the offseason. And honestly? Everybody...
Stop whatever you're doing. The offseason has officially arrived. The Charlotte Knights have acquired Barry Bonds from the Boston Red Sox in exchange for Jamie Navarro, Paul Konerko, Shane Mack, Raul Casanova, and Boston's own 1998 first-round pick. My first reaction? What the hell. My second reaction? Charlotte might have just become the favorite. Let's start with the obvious. Barry Bonds is the best player in this trade. By a lot. An absurd...
Some reunions are emotional. Some are inevitable. And some happen because a player bats .197 for his new team and suddenly finds himself without a clear role. The Florida Marlins have finally done what they've been hinting at for most of the offseason, sending Travis Fryman back to the New York Yankees in exchange for Kevin Orie and Quinton McCracken. And honestly, this felt inevitable the moment...