Two trades were completed on Saturday. In the first, the Dodgers sent RHP Matt Herges and INF Jorge Nunez to the Expos for RHP Guillermo Mota and OF Wilkin Ruan. The latter involved San Diego sent INF Damian Jackson and C Matt Walbeck to Detroit for C Javier Cardona and OF Rich Gomez.

I was quite surprised by the first trade as the objectives are not immediately obvious. Herges was among the pitchers LA discussed for their closer's role, so he didn't seem a prime candidate to be traded in anything less than a high impact deal. However, some method can be found in the madness with a closer look at the trade.

Mota was once considered for the Montreal closer's position over Scott Strickland. Regardless of the ill-advised nature of this consideration, since Strickland is a much better closer candidate than Mota, it still served to elevate his perceived value. He has a solid skills' record and some potential. Unfortunately, he is not a particularly overpowering pitcher and therefore does not have the upside of a true power pitcher.

Wilkin Ruan is a 22-year-old outfield prospect. He split last season between A-ball Jupiter and AA Harrisburg. He needs to work on his plate discipline in order to earn a job in the majors and maximize his speed potential. While he isn't that old, he still needs a full year at both AA and AAA before he can really be considered for the majors, at which point he will have to break in quickly to maintain his prospect status. Right now he doesn't project much beyond a 4th outfielder.

LA has more candidates for their pitching staff than they can roster. However, the Dodgers do not have a deep minor league system and this trade aids in improving that system.

Montreal had an acceptable bullpen, but the upgrade from the soft-tossing Mota to the proven set-up production of Herges will allow them to have more confidence when they turn to their relievers. Considering the health and youth questions that plague the Expos' pitching staff, this is an important addition for them.

Jorge Nunez is a 24-year-old shortstop prospect. He spent all of last year at AA, though he did have one game at AAA in 2000. Nunez still needs considerable work on his plate discipline, but he appears to have very good speed upside. The Expos do have other middle infield prospects, most notably SS Brandon Phillips, as well as a strong middle infield at the major league level. However, since there are always going to be several players from every group of prospects that never reach their potential, acquiring some depth that can be traded again later doesn't hurt.

I feel that the Expos definitely came out ahead in this trade. Herges is a better reliever now than Mota and Mota's upside is not overly high. Jorge Nunez also appears to be a better prospect than Wilkin Ruan. LA seems to have decided they needed to dump a reliever from their roster, but they really should have been able to acquire more in return for Herges considering his perceived value as a quality set-up man.

With the second trade it is much easier to see the holes that the teams were trying to patch. Detroit has amassed quite a collection of catchers over the last few years, so they had a quality backstop to spare. The Padres were looking for someone other than Tom Lampkin or Walbeck to back-up Wiki Gonzalez. The Tigers' were in need of another middle infielder, since they have a fairly weak and injury prone line-up. San Diego had difficult decisions to make on playing time with multiple options for the second base job.

Cardona has options, so he will likely be sent to AAA for at least part of the year. Wiki Gonzalez is the nominal starting catcher, though one reason the Padres were interested in making this trade is that he has not been completely healthy this spring. In an attempt to lose some of the excess weight he brought to camp, Gonzalez strained the triceps tendon in his right elbow. Following that accident, his throwing has been hampered and he has missed some time. Lampkin should break camp as the back-up, though Cardona should be first in line to receive playing time if either are unable to play due to injury.

Outfielder Rich Gomez spent last season at AA. He still has plate discipline problems that he will need to work through to have success at the majors, but he has both power and speed potential. At 24, he really isn't a prospect; however he should be able to find a job as a back-up outfielder in less than two years.

With Damian Jackson's departure, D'Angelo Jimenez was named the starting second baseman. Eliminating Jimenez's major competition is a wise decision. Jimenez, across the board, is a stronger offensive player with much more potential at 24 than Jackson, who is already in his prime at age 28. Jackson is currently stronger defensively at the second base position over which the two were battling to start, but that appears to be largely due to the fact that Jimenez needed some extra time to transition from the shortstop position he has played for the majority of his professional career. Jimenez should be able to continue his development much more smoothly with consistent playing time, rather than sporadic appearances off the bench.

Jackson will reportedly not be starting at any one position in Detroit because the Tigers want to use him as a utility infielder to bolster several weak positions. However, they will be using him frequently enough that he should still receive at least 400 at-bats.

Shane Halter has a decent amount of value as a utility player, but isn't a player most teams would want starting at shortstop for them. Prior to the trade, Detroit's back-up options were limited to journeyman Craig Wilson or unprepared minor leagues Oscar Salazar, and with one of the weakest middle infields in baseball, they were in need of a stronger bench player.

The Tigers seem to find players who can handle multiple positions extremely enticing, as Jackson will join Robert Fick, Shane Halter, Jose Macias, Craig Paquette, and Dmitri Young. In addition to backing-up 2B and SS, Jackson can also handle the occasional game in centerfield, which with the other utility players capable of subbing in the outfield, may allow the Tigers to only break camp with 4 true outfielders.

Walbeck, the 32-year-old catcher who was the fourth player in the deal, is nothing special either offensively or defensively but appears capable of handling a few games as a back-up if needed. Detroit likely didn't want to relinquish a catcher without receiving one in return, despite the obvious downgrade. While the Tigers have a multitude of catching talent, the majority of their catchers all have questions regarding injury or effectiveness so they wanted to maintain some insurance.

I don't really see a winner or a loser in this trade. Both teams traded from their strengths to acquire players who will assist them in areas where they were weak. Neither team gave up anything they couldn't afford and both should be happy with their acquisitions.