Turns out ESPN had it wrong. Ryan Ludwick was part of the package going to Texas, not Erik Hiljus. This is a nice deal for both clubs, despite the claim by many analysts that Billy Beane ripped off his former scouting director. Hart, Ludwick, and Ramos are all legitimate prospects who could help as early as this season, and Laird isn’t a bad prospect himself, though he’s further away. I like what John Hart and Grady Fuson are doing down in Arlington.

Now, if you want a bad trade, how about Gary Sheffield for Brian Jordan, Odalis Perez, and Andy Brown. What, exactly, was the point of getting rid of Tommy Lasorda and Kevin Malone? I assumed it was so stuff like this wouldn’t continue to happen. I happen to like Perez as a potential #3 or #4 starter but he’s not there yet, and he’s not nearly enough to offset the drop from Sheffield to Jordan. Oh well, the way things are going in MLB these days, it probably turns out that Ruppert Murdoch owes Ted Turner some money…