Sometimes the best trades are the ones you never make, but a lot of times the best trades are the ones you do.
The November dominoes were lined up: Orlando Cabrera to Chicago for Jon Garland, Torii Hunter signed as a free agent, Santana-Kendrick-Mathis-Adenhart to Florida for Miguel Cabrera. No doubt that Miguel Cabrera’s bat would be a great thing in our lineup. But a few months later the pitching depth we once had is gone and Orlando Cabrera has apparently delivered a #2 starter who pitched like an ace in his Angel debut. We will need Ervin Santana on Thursday and the thought of Adenhart on the bubble near the end of March would have been unfathomable at the conclusion of the winter meetings.
It seemed almost gluttonous, then, to leave the trade talks alone with 7 rotation-worthy starters. Surely Tony Reagins should purge, should trade for trading's sake. But the lessons of Zen-Master Bill Stoneman guided the young Tony to hold on to the deep, deep roster. The torch had been passed - not extinguished.
Tonight was only one game, but Garland tonight was the first feather in Tony Reagins’ cap. Perhaps Tony will have a down comforter’s worth by the All-Star break.