The Twins picked up Bret Boone and cash (i.e., all but the pro-rated minimum remaining of Boone's contract) from the Mariners for a PTBNL.
I'd insert a picture of Bret Boone as a piece of toast in here, but I can't quite get the hang of this photo insertion thing, and Dan Szymborski already did that joke with Robbie Alomar.
Joe Borowski has ended up in Tampa Bay as a reclamation project for the D-Rays. Be interesting to see how that works out...who knows, maybe he can get back on track out there.
Meanwhile, Gerry Fraley continues to make me look pro-Rangers-management, this time railing about all the pitchers the Rangers have given away, and in particular focusing on Justin Duchscherer, the A's All-Star representative (and a guy picked because, well, someone from Oakland had to go) who the Rangers dumped for Luis Vizcaino in Hart's first months with the club. Vizcaino, in turn, was traded for Jesus Pena, who had a brief role in the 2002 Bullpen of Horrors.
At the end of his rant, Fraley writes:
Ryan Drese at 3-1 for first-place Washington. Justin Duchscherer in the All-Star Game. Danny Kolb, now with Atlanta, and Luis Vizcaino in the bullpen of contenders. Who knew the Rangers could throw away so much pitching?
Drese, I've talked about enough.
Duchscherer, shouldn't have been given away, no question, and he's having a great year, but he's a 27 year old decent middle reliever. Teams like Atlanta -- and, for that matter, the 2004 Rangers -- cobble together bullpens with guys just like Duchscherer picked up as minor league free agents on a regular basis. He's not a big loss.
Danny Kolb was released because he couldn't stay healthy, and wasn't all that great in Texas when he was healthy. He had a nice run in Milwaukee, but did it largely with smoke and mirrors, sporting unimpressive peripherals and posting an ERA of 4.88 in the second half of 2004. As has been well documented, he's sucking eggs this year in the Braves pen, with a 5.56 ERA and a 23/25 BB/K ratio. If Kolb were still around, Fraley would be railing about how he's one of the guys the Rangers have to get rid of if they want to be competitive.
And then there is Luis Vizcaino, a guy who has been all over the map since he left Texas. He was great for most of 2002, ending up with a 2.99 ERA, but then was awful in 2003, pretty good in 2004, and has been sub-mediocre in 2005 for the ChiSox, posting a 4.46 ERA thusfar. He's been consistently hit-or-miss, and his fly-ball tendencies (he's got a career .83 FB/GB ratio, and over the course of his career has allowed a home run every 6 innings, despite pitching mostly in pitcher's parks) wouldn't play well in TBIA.
In fact, the Rangers' relievers have posted a 4.86 ERA on the season -- lower than Kolb's ERA, and lower, when taking into account park effects, than Vizcaino's.
So for Fraley to whine about Kolb and Vizcaino being in the "bullpens of contenders" is pretty disingenuous...it would be like complaining because Ruben Sierra and Rafael Palmeiro are hitting for contenders. Neither Kolb nor Vizcaino would make this team one iota better right now.