Minnesota Twins without a shortstop so far this offseason

Catching up on some of the free agent signings from recent days:

• Dansby Swanson, Cubs, 7 years, $177 million
• Justin Turner, Boston Red Sox, 2 years, $21.7 million
• Michael Brantley, Houston Astros, 1 year, $12 million
• J.D. Martinez, Los Angeles Dodgers, 1 year, $10 million
• Joey Gallo, Minnesota Twins, 1 year, $11 million

Swanson was the last high-priced free agent to come off the board. As you can see from the list above, some of the late-career veterans are starting to sign short-term contracts. Brantley decided to stay where he's been in Houston. Turner went from Los Angeles to Boston, while Martinez when from Boston to Los Angeles. The two essentially swapped places.

My main takeaway on Swanson: The Twins are left without a shortstop to this point in the offseason. They sought to retain Carlos Correa, but they were outbid by the San Francisco Giants. Swanson seemed to be their fallback, but he chose to come to the North Side of Chicago.

Now, Minnesota is in a fix. The best free agent shortstop left on the market is ... probably Elvis Andrus, who had a resurgence with the White Sox at the end of 2022, but it's far from certain that the 34-year-old veteran can sustain that level of play moving forward.

The Twins ended up with Gallo to plug an outfield spot, while the Sox signed Andrew Benintendi on a five-year deal. That's a little surprising. At the start of the offseason, no one would have been shocked if Gallo had landed on the South Side on a short-term deal. The Twins seemed more likely to make a multiyear splash on somebody, either an outfielder or a shortstop.

I must say, I did not want Gallo on the Sox. He's a boom-or-bust player, and while I fully acknowledge that he could hit 40 homers for the Twins and make me eat my words, the Sox already have a little too much boom-or-bust in their everyday lineup.

The Sox were better off signing an outfielder who sets a higher floor at his position, and Benintendi is that guy. Gallo simply is not. 

Who are the top remaining free agents? Well, I wouldn't say there's anyone left you would call "top of market." Besides Andrus, Jean Segura and Brandon Drury are still out there as infielders. Michael Conforto is available for anyone still interested in an outfielder. Jurickson Profar would be an option for a team seeking an all-purpose type. Nathan Eovaldi is probably the best starting pitcher still out there. Need a closer? I'm not sure Craig Kimbrel will ever regain his "future Hall of Fame" form, but he's available.

Non-tender list adds outfield options for White Sox in free agency

Eddie Rosario

Teams around Major League Baseball non-tendered 59 players Wednesday, and some of them are outfielders who bat left-handed. 

The White Sox need a right fielder, preferably one with some left-handed pop, so the speculation only increases as more options become available.

We all know George Springer, a right-handed hitter, is the top free agent outfielder on the market. If the Sox are to sign him, it would require the biggest contract in team history, and the competition is expected to be fierce. Therefore, I'm not expecting it to happen.

In a previous blog, I advocated for signing *both* Michael Brantley and Jackie Bradley Jr. Another free agent whom I haven't mentioned is Joc Pederson, a left-handed corner outfielder who just won a World Series ring with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

However, three other players can be mentioned in this mix after they were non-tendered by their respective teams: Eddie Rosario, Kyle Schwarber and David Dahl. Let's look at how these players could fit in with the Sox:

Rosario: If we weren't in the middle of a pandemic, the Minnesota Twins probably would have tendered Rosario, who batted .281/.317/.493 over the past four seasons. He's a free swinger, as that low on-base percentage suggests, but he produces runs. 

Over those same four seasons, he's hit 96 home runs and driven in 306 runs. For his career, his 162-game averages are 28 home runs and 90 RBIs. And he doesn't turn 30 until next September, so he's a good bet to continue that production for another couple of seasons. The Twins apparently decided, however, that he is not worth his projected $12 million arbitration number.

I don't think Rosario's worth that, either, because he's not a great defensive outfielder. No way would I put him in right field. The Twins have always put him in left field. This player would be a decent acquisition for the Sox, because he can play left field in a serviceable way -- better than Eloy Jimenez can -- serve as a designated hitter most of the time and give you some pop from the left side.

In short, he's a fallback option if the Sox fail to sign Brantley, who is the best player on the market for such a role. It's worth noting that neither Brantley nor Rosario are good enough with the glove to be the left-handed half of a platoon in right field.

Schwarber: The crosstown Cubs are cutting payroll, and Schwarber getting non-tendered is the first domino to fall on the North Side. As Sox fans, we give Cubs fans a hard time all the time for overrating their own players, and Schwarber is a prime example of that, so let's not fool ourselves into believing that this player is a great fit on the South Side. He is not.

Schwarber is a terrible defensive outfielder. Absolutely terrible. Sure, he stands in left field with a glove on his hand, much like Jimenez does, but he's a significant liability out there. Schwarber has to hit in order to be effective, but in 2020, he did not hit. He batted .188/.308/.393 with a 50.8% percent ground-ball rate and a 30% strikeout rate. 

He hit 11 home runs. That's nice. It's way better than Nomar Mazara, but "better than Mazara" is damning with faint praise. That's still subpar production for a designated hitter, and that's all Schwarber is.

If the Sox sign Schwarber, he'd be nothing more than the left-handed half of a DH platoon with ... who exactly? While Schwarber will hit some home runs and take his walks, this doesn't feel like the best fit among the available players.

Dahl: The Colorado Rockies non-tendered Dahl because he had a terrible 2020 season. He batted .183/.222/.247 with not a single home run and nine RBIs. Remarkably, that's below the Mazara line!

An oblique strain and a right shoulder injury limited Dahl to 24 games this year, and injuries have been a recurring theme for him. In his career, he's suffered from a lacerated spleen and a fractured foot, among other problems.

He's only played 264 games for the Rockies over the past four years, but in general, it's been a productive run. For his career, he's batted .286/.334/.494 with 53 doubles and 38 home runs. 

All that said, the injury problems mean he cannot be a Plan A for any team that looks at 2021 as a win-now season, and the Sox are certainly in that camp. I would expect Dahl to sign with a rebuilding team, maybe the Detroit Tigers, on a one-year deal to try to rebuild his value.

From a Sox perspective, he would be the very last option on this list. 

A solution for the White Sox OF/DH problem that doesn't involve George Springer

Michael Brantley

Do we really believe White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf is going to open his wallet this offseason and sign George Springer, the best free agent position player on the market?

Sure, the Sox have a gaping hole in right field, and Springer would look good there. But I'll file that possibility under, "I'll believe it when I see it." Even amid a pandemic, signing Springer is going to take a nine-figure outlay, which is something the Sox have yet to do in team history.

So, if not Springer, then what?

Here's my proposal: Sign *both* Michael Brantley and Jackie Bradley Jr.

Make the 33-year-old Brantley the primary designated hitter, but he's still young enough and decent enough defensively to spend some time in left field. Eloy Jimenez remains your primary left fielder, but he can DH sometimes.

Luis Robert is the everyday center fielder. Duh.

And Bradley Jr. becomes the left-handed half of a right-field platoon with Adam Engel. Whichever player doesn't start in right field becomes the late-inning defensive replacement for Jimenez when the Sox are trying to protect a lead.

These proposed signings would give the Sox three outfielders capable of playing center field -- Robert, Engel and Bradley Jr. -- and can you imagine all three of them being in the outfield at the same time in the ninth inning? A one-run lead feels a little safer with that defensive alignment, no?

Brantley has a career .297/.354/.440 slash line. He's hit .300 or higher for three consecutive years. His OPS has been .800 or better for four consecutive years. And he swings left-handed, to help balance out the Sox's right-handed-heavy lineup. Not to mention, Brantley doesn't strike out much -- he had only 28 strikeouts in 187 plate appearances for the Houston Astros in 2020.

A left-handed contact hitter with gap power sounds like exactly what the Sox lineup needs.

Bradley Jr. is 30 years old and coming off one of his better seasons with the Boston Red Sox. He slashed .283/.364/.450 with seven homers. He's also a left-handed hitter. He can run; he takes some walks; and he's an high-end defensive outfielder. Those are all skills the Sox could use.

Don't get me wrong; I'm not going to be angry if the Sox somehow come up with the cash to sign Springer. But the objective here is to replace *both* Edwin Encarnacion and Nomar Mazara, who weighed down the Sox lineup at DH and RF, respectively, in 2020.

If you can't get the All-Star, it's not necessarily a bad thing to take two quality players who set a higher floor for your team and add to your depth and platoon flexibility.

Name That Slash Line answer key

J.D. Martinez

In our last blog, I gave out seven slash lines belonging to assorted players -- some play for the White Sox, some do not. Here are your answers:

Player 1: .315/.367/.548

This is Sox third baseman Yoan Moncada, who not only had a breakout season, but he also had the best offensive season I've seen from a Sox third baseman in my lifetime. Sure, Robin Ventura might have provided more overall value in the 1990s because he was an elite defender at the position, but it's hard to top the .915 OPS posted by Moncada in 2019.

One big key to this Moncada breakout: As a switch-hitter, he's no longer a pushover from the right side of the plate. In 2018, Moncada slashed .209/.287/.297 as a right-handed hitter. But this season, his right-handed line jumped all the way up to .299/.345/.500.

Now, I still expect opposing managers to bring in left-handed relievers to force Moncada to bat right-handed. After all, Moncada hit 21 of his 25 homers in 2019 as a left-handed hitter. And his left-handed slash line was a robust .322/.377/.569.

All that being said, Moncada is now the guy Sox fans want to see to the plate in late-and-clutch situations, and even from his weaker side, he's capable of doing damage to the opposition.

Player 2: .311/.372/.503

This slash line belongs to Houston Astros outfielder Michael Brantley. There's been a lot of talk about the Sox needing a productive left-handed bat to play a corner outfield position, and I can't help but think the team missed on that opportunity last season when Brantley was available.

The best left-handed corner outfield bats available in free agency this offseason are Corey Dickerson and Kole Calhoun. Neither of them is as good as Brantley. Perhaps the Sox should have been more aggressive in their pursuit of Brantley when he could have been had.

Now, it is possible Brantley wasn't interested in the Sox. Who would you rather sign with? The Astros or the Sox? One of the problems the Sox face is that they are not a destination for free agents, and that is the fault of ownership and the front office. They deserve criticism for not being able to "convert" on their targets, and that inability is about more than not being willing to spend money.

Player 3: .284/.330/.503

This is Sox first baseman Jose Abreu, who is a free agent this offseason. It is assumed he will be back with the club, but I have heard some fans express reservations about Abreu going forward, because he will be 33 years old when we reach Opening Day 2020.

The low on-base percentages over the past two seasons -- .325 and .330 -- are concerning. Abreu's career OBP is .349. However, Abreu led the Sox with 33 home runs and led the American League with 123 RBIs. This is a Sox team that ranked 13th in the league in home runs, and I don't think they are in position to be parting with *any* hitter who is capable of slugging .500 or better.

This doesn't mean give Abreu a five-year deal. That would be a mistake. I'd say two years, $30 million with an option for a third year gets it done.

Player 4: .335/.357/.508

Here is the slash line for Sox shortstop Tim Anderson. He walked 15 times all season and still won the batting title. I don't know if we'll ever see something like that again.

I'm guessing this was a career year for Anderson, but this was a significant step forward from the .240/.281/.406 line he posted in 2018. Regression is probably inevitable, but let's say Anderson finds a medium between his past two seasons and hits .290 with a .320 on-base percentage in 2020. If he does that, can we live it?

I think so, especially if he bats toward the bottom of the batting order and continues to supply some extra-base pop. Anderson had 18 home runs and 32 doubles this season, which is just fine for a shortstop.

Player 5: .256/.334/.462

This is San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado, who decided to take San Diego's millions over the millions the Sox offered last offseason.

Some have pushed the narrative that the Sox are fortunate that they didn't sign Machado, because he had a down season in his first year with the Padres. I don't know. I think the Sox would have been a better team with Machado at third base and Moncada at second -- and light-hitting Yolmer Sanchez in the bench role where he belongs.

I don't subscribe to the theory that Moncada's offensive breakout has anything to do with his position change -- I think he was going to break out anyway. I will acknowledge that Moncada is better defensively at third base than he was at second.

The bottom line on the whole Machado saga is this: The Sox had a chance to prove that they are willing to spend in free agency last season, and they declined to do so. They have another chance this offseason. That doesn't mean they have to sign Gerrit Cole, but it does mean they have to spend the money this time. Finishing second for free agents isn't going to be acceptable anymore.

Player 6: .304/.383/.557

Speaking of free agents the Sox need to sign, the slash line above belongs to J.D. Martinez, who is likely to opt out of his contract with the Boston Red Sox. Let me go on the record as saying Martinez is the free agent I most want the Sox to sign.

The numbers above are still pretty damn good, even in an age-32 season. And need I remind anybody that Sox DHs posted a .205/.286/.356 slash line in 2019? I think Martinez will age well, much like Nelson Cruz and Edwin Encarnacion. For years, the Sox have tried to force a square peg into a round hole at DH. They've signed National League hitters (Adam Dunn and Adam LaRoche) and watched them fail in the role, and it's clear Yonder Alonso had no idea how to adjust to the position.

So, why not bring in somebody who already has proven that he can DH? As we can see from these slash lines, Martinez will provide more offensive value than Machado, and he won't cost as much because of his lack of defensive value.

In fact, Martinez will have no National League suitors whatsoever. And the Astros, New York Yankees, Minnesota Twins, and Los Angeles Angels do not have an opening at DH. If Martinez opts out of Boston, where's he going to land? The way I see it, the most logical landing places are the Sox, Texas Rangers or Toronto Blue Jays.

I'm thinking four years, $100 million with a player opt-out after two years gets it done. Hey, that same contract lured Martinez to Boston, right?

Player 7: .260/.372/.510

This is Bryce Harper. He'd still look pretty good in right field for the Sox, you know. Much like Brantley, he was a lefty corner outfield bat that was available last offseason, and Sox brass just wasn't aggressive enough.

Granted, Harper was much more expensive than Brantley, and Brantley is arguably better, depending on what you value in a hitter. In that regard, a case can be made that Harper wasn't worth the money and years of commitment.

The main reason I'm putting him here, in fact, is to build my case for the Sox to sign Martinez. Martinez was a better hitter than Machado this past season. He was a better hitter than Harper, too. Just look at the slash lines.

If you sign Martinez, you've got the big bat you need for the center of your order, and you don't have to pay $330 million over 13 years. Then, if you want to sign a lesser hitter -- such as Dickerson -- as a secondary offseason free agent piece to fill right field, that suddenly becomes much more palatable.

You see, the Sox have multiple holes. As much as we'd all love to see a player such as Cole in the starting rotation, would you rather sign four or five good players to fill all these holes, or just sign one stud to play once every five days?

I'd like to sign the four or five good players. Depth and layers of depth looks far more appealing to me than a stars-and-scrubs approach.

Lucas Giolito throws shutout in White Sox win over Astros

Did you ever think you would see a day when White Sox right-hander Lucas Giolito would throw 82 of his 107 pitches for strikes in a game?

Consider this about Giolito's outing Thursday against the Houston Astros: In the second inning, he threw 11 pitches -- all of them strikes. In the fifth inning, he threw nine pitches -- all of them strikes. In the seventh inning, he threw six pitches -- all of them strikes.

Three separate times, Giolito retired the side without throwing a single pitch out of the zone, against the No. 2 offense in the American League.

Is this the same guy who led the AL with 90 walks and 118 earned runs allowed in 187 innings in 2018?

Sure doesn't seem like it, and thank goodness.

Giolito fired a complete-game, four-hit shutout in a 4-0 victory over Houston. He struck out nine, walked only one, and none of the four hits went for extra bases. With the win, the Sox rally to split the four-game series with the Astros, after they dropped the first two games.

Sure, Houston was without George Springer and Jose Altuve. But that lineup still features Alex Bregman, Michael Brantley and Carlos Correa -- three damn good hitters -- and Giolito dominated.

This time, his slider was his best offspeed pitch. He threw it 20 times and got seven swinging strikes. He threw his change 24 times, as well, but the slider seemed to be the out pitch. He still had it working in the ninth inning, too, when he struck out Correa with a nasty one for the second out.

One big key for this turnaround for Giolito: His fastball velocity has returned. Remember, last year he was throwing 91 to 93 mph. Now with his shorter arm action and more compact delivery, his fastball averaged 94.8 mph Thursday and topped out at 97.3 mph.

He still had the heat in the ninth inning, too. I saw a fastball register at 97 in the aforementioned at-bat with Correa.

Giolito's record is now 6-1 with a 2.77 ERA. The traditional pitching numbers are good, as are some of the other numbers people like to look at. His WHIP is 1.058. He's allowed only three home runs in 52 innings pitched. His strikeouts per nine innings sit at 10.2, and his strikeout-to-walk ratio is 3.11. His FIP is 2.78.

Obviously, we need to see it for a whole season to say that Giolito has truly turned a corner and established himself as a legitimate piece of the starting rotation. However, this early-season performance sure is encouraging, and it's sorely needed.

And with this win over the Astros, he's got a victory over one of the league's elite to his name.

(And, oh yeah, Eloy Jimenez homered for the third time in the series against Houston in Thursday's game. We like to sneak Eloy's name in here whenever we get the chance -- his presence drives up the web numbers. Hey, at least we're not being phony about that mattering.)

White Sox begin nine-game trip with typical Cleveland loss

Michael Brantley

The White Sox are 12-25 in their past 37 games in Cleveland, so we shouldn't be surprised that their first road game against the Indians this year ended with an archetypal punch to the groin.

Sox reliever Tommy Kahnle (0-1) retired the first two batters in the bottom of the 10th inning, but then he walked Francisco Lindor and gave up a game-winning double to Michael Brantley as the Indians came away with a 2-1 victory.

It's too bad, because the Sox wasted a serviceable start by the erstwhile James Shields. The veteran right-hander gave up a solo home run to Lindor in the bottom of the first inning, but nothing more over 5.1 innings. He allowed only two hits, walked two and retired 12 consecutive Cleveland hitters at one point.

Given the garbage we saw from Shields last year, how can we complain about that performance against one of the better lineups in the American League? We can't.

And, the Sox bullpen covered 13 more outs before Kahnle finally cracked in the bottom of the 10th.

Have we mentioned the fact that the Sox can't hit? Yeah, it's becoming a theme. Other than Todd Frazier's solo home run in the fifth inning, the offense generated little. The Sox were 0 for 6 with runners in scoring position and four of the nine starters finished the game 0 for 4.

The best scoring chance came in the top of the eighth inning against Cleveland bullpen ace Andrew Miller, of all people. Geovany Soto walked and advanced to third on a double by pinch-hitter Matt Davidson with one out.

With runners on second and third, Tyler Saladino hit a Miller slider right on the screws, but his line drive landed in the glove of diving Cleveland third baseman Yandy Diaz. Good defense by Diaz, bad luck for Saladino. If that one gets through, the Sox (2-4) take a 3-1 lead. Alas, it did not, and Tim Anderson swung over the top of two Miller sliders and basically struck himself out to end the threat.

The Indians also missed an opportunity in the eighth inning, thanks to some curious managing by Terry Francona. Sox reliever Nate Jones was laboring; he walked the first two hitters. But Francona for some reason ordered the red-hot Lindor to sacrifice bunt, which he did.

Sure, that gave Cleveland (4-3) runners on second and third with one out, but it opened the door for Sox manager Rick Renteria to walk Brantley intentionally and set up the double play. That's precisely what Renteria did. Jones got a righty-on-righty matchup that was favorable for him against Cleveland's Edwin Encarnacion, and he induced a 5-4-3 double play to keep the game tied. Good managing by Renteria, not so good by Francona, who is normally the game's best.

Unfortunately, given a second life, the Sox's offense was too inept to scratch across a run and steal a winnable game.

Mike Trout, Clayton Kershaw win MVP awards

Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout on Thursday was named the unanimous MVP of the American League.

The 23-year-old received all 30 first-place votes and finished with 420 points. Detroit's Victor Martinez took second with 229 points, while Cleveland outfielder Michael Brantley placed third with 185 points.

Let me say this: I do not disagree with this vote. But what's funny about this is Trout didn't have as good a season in 2014 as he had in 2012 or 2013:

2012: .326/.399/.564, 30 HRs, 84 RBIs, 49 SBs
2013: .323/.432/.557, 27 HRs, 97 RBIs, 33 SBs
2014: .287/.377/.561, 36 HRs, 111 RBIs, 16 SBs

Sure, Trout's power numbers were up in 2014, but he also struck out a league-leading 184 times. The batting average, on-base percentage and stolen base totals, while good, took a noticeable dip. I feel like his best year was 2013, when he finished second in the MVP voting to Miguel Cabrera. Trout also finished second to Cabrera in 2012.

Frankly, Trout has been the best overall player in the American League for each of the past three years. What was different about this season that swung the vote in Trout's favor? For one, Cabrera regressed to the point where he was no longer the best hitter on his own team. (Martinez was.) And two, the Angels won a league-best 98 games and made the playoffs.

The Angels did not make the playoffs in either 2012 or 2013, and there is always that subset of voters that believes the MVP *must* come from a team that qualified for the postseason.

Again, Trout deserves the award. It's just funny that he finally received his recognition in his weakest season of the last three.

Clayton Kershaw wins NL MVP

It's been a good week for Los Angeles Dodgers lefty Clayton Kershaw, who won the NL Cy Young Award on Wednesday and the NL MVP on Thursday.

Kershaw went 21-3 with 1.77 ERA, a 0.857 WHIP and six complete games in 27 starts this year. There's no denying he's the best pitcher in the league. The debate surrounding him was whether a pitcher should win the MVP award over an everyday player.

Here's why I think it's OK for starting pitchers to win MVP:

Dodgers record with Kershaw on the mound: 24-3 (.852 winning percentage)
Dodgers record with all other pitchers: 71-64 (.526 winning percentage)

The Dodgers are a decent, but not great team when Kershaw doesn't pitch. But with him on the mound, they rarely lose. I'd say he's pretty valuable, and you can justify voting for him for MVP on that basis.

Eighteen voters agreed and named Kershaw first on their ballot. He totaled 355 points. Miami's Giancarlo Stanton got eight first-place votes and 298 points for second place. Pittsburgh's Andrew McCutchen, the 2013 winner, finished third with four first-place votes and 271 points.

Remember when the Indians traded CC Sabathia?

Whenever an established veteran is traded for a package of prospects, experts routinely say we won't know how good of a deal a trade is until four, five, six years down the road.

For the most part, I think that's a fair way of looking at things, but we don't always take the time to re-evaulate deals of the past once that future finally arrives.

But with the Cleveland Indians in town to play the White Sox for a four-game series over the weekend, I got to thinking about the trade the Tribe made on July 7, 2008, in which they sent their ace pitcher, CC Sabathia, to the Milwaukee Brewers as part of a blockbuster deal.

Now that nearly six years have passed, I think it's fair to take a look back at this trade. For Sabathia, the Indians acquired outfielder Matt LaPorta, pitchers Zach Jackson and Rob Bryson and a player to be named later.

How did the Brewers come out in this deal? Well, Sabathia made 17 starts for them the rest of 2008 and went 11-2 with a 1.65 ERA. He pitched like an ace down the stretch of that season and helped Milwaukee secure the wild card spot in the National League. Unfortunately for the Brewers, Sabathia got shelled in his lone postseason start, and Milwaukee lost in the first round of the playoffs to the eventual world champion Philadelphia Phillies.

That offseason, Sabathia left Milwaukee for much greener pastures, signing an 8-year mega-deal with the New York Yankees, for whom he still pitches today.

I doubt the Brewers regretted making the deal. It didn't net them a World Series, but it did help get them in the playoffs, and they probably knew Sabathia was going to walk at season's end at the time they made the trade.

Time has shown the players Milwaukee parted with on that July day didn't amount to much. Bryson was not much of a prospect and never pitched above Triple-A. Jackson appeared in 12 games over two seasons with the Indians, going 2-3 with a 6.11 ERA. He hasn't pitched in the majors since 2009. Left-handed pitchers tend to live forever, so the now-30-year-old Jackson is still kicking it around in the Washington Nationals organization, but he never helped the Tribe.

That brings us to LaPorta, who was considered "the big piece" of the deal. He was the 23rd-best prospect in baseball going into the 2008 season, as ranked by Baseball America. He was holding pretty steady at No. 27 on that list going into 2009, the spring after he had been dealt to the Indians.

Some experts were surprised the Brewers would part with LaPorta in exchange for a half-season of Sabathia, believing LaPorta was destined to be a prolific right-handed power bat. As it turns out, that didn't happen.

LaPorta made it to the majors with Cleveland, but he made little impact. He posted a .238/.301/.393 slash line with 31 home runs in 120 RBIs over 291 games from 2009 to 2012. He never hit more than 12 home runs in any season. The 29-year-old is now playing for Campeche of the Mexican League, where he is a teammate of former Cubs pitcher Sean Gallagher.

So, from all this we can safely conclude the Brewers fleeced the Indians back in 2008, right? Not so fast.

Remember, the trade included a player to be named later. That October, the Brewers completed the deal by sending outfielder Michael Brantley to the Indians. The 27-year-old is now in his fourth full year as a fixture in the Cleveland outfield. While Brantley is not an All-Star, he's a legitimate everyday player, having posted a .284/.332/.396 slash line in 2013, to go along with a career-high 10 home runs and 73 RBIs.

When a team acquires four prospects in exchange for an established veteran, it's a successful trade if even one of those prospects turns into something decent. After all, most prospects are complete busts. In this particular trade, the highly regarded prospect was a bust, while the player to be named later has become a major league starting outfielder.

Funny how it works out sometimes.