Now that moves have slowed down a bit, I can devote more time to analyzing each deal. Today I'll discuss Saturday's two interleague 3-for-1 swaps.

Trade #1 COL - SEA
Colorado trades 3B Jeff Cirillo
To the Seattle Mariners For
RHP Jose Paniagua, RHP Dennis Stark, and LHP Brian Fuentes

I did manage to predict Cirillo's new home, but I was not able to pick the players that the Mariners would trade for him. I have to say I'm surprised. I know this was a salary dump, but Cirillo is an All-Star third baseman whose numbers are far more than just a result of the ball park he's played his home games in the last few seasons. When the Mariners traded for Ben Davis, I was certain that the young catcher would be passed along to a Rockies team that has been looking for help behind the plate.

However, I should move on and discuss the players Colorado actually did acquire. All three are pitchers, a move that I question philosophically. Given the quirks of their home field, if I were the Rockies I would be inclined to develop pitchers only as trade bait and fill my staff with guys who I'd watched pitch for a few years and thought would fit with the organization's strategy. The primary flaw in that approach is that Colorado's AAA club is far from conducive to the development of marketable pitchers due to their nearby location in Colorado Springs.

Jose Paniagua throws hard and has been an above average reliever in ballparks less than a mile above sea level, but one never knows how a pitcher will react to Coors field. He does not fit with the plan implemented by GM Dan O'Dowd of employing pitchers with good change-ups. To the best of my knowledge, Paniagua does not even throw a change-up. He does have similarities to Jay Powell, who the Rockies recently lost through free agency to the Texas Rangers, so he might be all right.

There is also a good chance that he won't have to suffer the Coors purgatory at all as there are strong rumors that the righty will be traded to Detroit for utilityman Shane Halter. I suppose technically Halter can be called offense, but I really don't understand why Colorado would make this deal. Another utility player is just about the last thing they need right now with a roster full of the Shumperts and Nortons of the world. The park effect should make Halter's numbers appear acceptable; however it will just be an illusion.

Dennis Stark has potential, but at 27, his age removes him from the category of top prospects. Although he has put up some great numbers in the minors, he has never shown himself to be overly dominating, so he could run into serious problems at the high altitude. They also have a problem in that if he does start to struggle, sending him down to AAA Colorado Springs is probably not going to help. Stark is projected as a starter.

Left-hander Brian Fuentes debuted with the Mariners last season. One of the lefty's main pitches is a big curve, something he will have to adjust if he is going to survive in Coors, where the breaking balls just don't break. Fuentes will pitch out of the bullpen, so his acquisition gives them a replacement for Gabe White's role as gopherball-serving lefty in the pen.

Many suspect that the hole left at third base with Cirillo's departure will be filled with Seattle's free agent third baseman and manager Buddy Bell's son, David Bell. Though obviously not an equal replacement for the player they lost, Bell should play acceptably for the Rockies and with their other offense, he shouldn't cost them more than a game or two.

Cirillo's arrival in Seattle gives the club the third baseman they've been looking to acquire since Edgar Martinez could play in the field. He even agreed to restructure his contract to make himself more appealing and affordable to the Mariners, and Seattle has a wealth of pitching talent, so the three guys Cirillo cost them won't be overly missed. The third baseman is a big step up even from Bell's career year and should fit well in their line-up.

The club will probably re-sign 2B free agent Bret Boone and put Mark McLemore back in LF, though they are still browsing the free agent market for other possibilities. It is highly likely that Seattle will start the season with an offense that on paper is greatly improved from their 116-46, 2001 team. However, many of those players experienced career years that the club should not expect them to repeat.

Trade #2 STL - BOS
St. Louis trades RHP Dustin Hermanson
To the Boston Red Sox For
1B Luis Garcia, OF Rick Asadoorian, and 1B Dustin Brisson

The Cardinals have been talking about dealing some of their pitching to cut payroll, so they can add offense through the free agent; this trade does just that. Dustin Hermanson's $6 million salary now will be paid by the Red Sox. St. Louis was not eager to part with the right-hander, but they still have a solid rotation without him.

In Boston, Hermanson will likely become the #2 starter, behind ace Pedro Martinez. The Sox have been in the market for rotation help all off-season. Discussions with free agent Terry Adams went nowhere, free agent John Burkett was a little more expensive than they wanted, and the addition of Darren Oliver only gained the team another potential 5th starter.

Of the three prospects dealt to the Cardinals, Rick Asadoorian is probably the most well known. The 21-year-old outfielder was Boston's first round pick in 1999. He's a little old to still be in A ball and his plate discipline needs major improvement, but his raw tools place him in the high-risk, high-reward category.

Luis Garcia is the more promising of the two first base prospects. He showed good power and decent plate discipline at AA last season. At the very least he still needs a year at AAA, but even if you send him back to AA for half a season this year, he should be up by the end of 2003 and might be able to start at 1B. However, it is likely that the payroll the Cards freed up with this trade will go towards signing Tino Martinez to a multi-year deal. If that happens, then Garcia could find himself blocked.

First baseman Dustin Brisson was the third minor leaguer included in the deal and probably has the longest shot at becoming a productive major league player. Although he did put up decent numbers last year, he was 23 and still in A ball. He would need to advance very quickly to pass Garcia.

So while the Cardinals gave up a very good pitcher primarily to dump salary, they did acquire a couple prospects that should improve the overall quality of their rather bare minor league system.