A couple of things on the deal that sent Michael Barrett to SD for Rob Bowen and Kyler Burke...
First off, I guess this is a traditional midseason deal in that the good player in his FA year went to a contending team from a noncontending team and that the Cubs got two guys who they control for several years. But I think you have to consider that there were extenuating cirumstances involving Barrett that affected both when he was moved and the kind of return that they received. In other words, I don't think that we need to expect this to start a trickle of deals necessarily, and I don't think that we need to really read anything into what the Cubs got.
And second, it just struck me that Burke, a highly regarded player going into the 2006 draft and then the 35th pick in it, is very much the kind of guy who I fear the Rangers like a whole lot more than I do. He's very toolsy but has hit about .210 in 376 pro ABs and has 129 strikeouts in that time. While the strikeout itself is overrated by many in its negative impact in the major leagues, a guy who doesn't make any better contact than that at low levels is a pretty big longshot to be a quality major league hitter. I would have more faith in the Rangers if they drafted or traded for fewer Kyler Burkes (Mayberry, Meyer, Borbon, Davis, Cruz) and went after more guys with the innate ability to get on base.