We received a hint of the results of removing free agent compensation from the labor agreement in the trades made this year, particularly those in August and early September. Cash was an important part of almost every trade this season. Next season, I expect we will see an even greater number of teams willing to trade pending free agents with money to cover the remainder of their salary for prospects and bench players who will help the organization in future years. Surprisingly, as they aren't normally considered the most astute organizations, the Cubs, Brewers, and to some extent, even the White Sox were on the cutting edge of the transition to this new trade environment.

I want to point out that although receiving something for your players is better than nothing, it will still be possible for teams dumping players to make bad trades. The two most common mistakes I expect are inadequate shopping for the best deal and trades for players who will never reach the majors. This situation should provide onlookers with an interesting tableau, as they observe which general managers are quickest to find ways to work the new system to their advantage.

With all of that in mind, the identities of a number of players to be named later have been revealed recently, so I would like to take a look at the new players and how some of those trades look now.

Milwaukee traded Alex Ochoa and Sal Fasano to Anaheim for Jorge Fabregas and two players to be named later on July 31st. The first of the two players to be named later is 2B-S John Raburn. Anaheim drafted Raburn out of the University of South Florida in the 16th round of the 2000 draft. Raburn spent last season at A Cedar Rapids in the Midwest League and advanced to A+ Rancho Cucamonga in the California league to begin this season. When he moved to the Milwaukee system, Raburn was hitting .292 with a .397 OBP and .366 SLG on 131 H, 20 2B, 5 3B, and 1 HR with a 77:88 BB:K and 35/54 SB% in 448 AB. His plate discipline seems sufficiently solid that even the Brewers shouldn't shake it, which nicely compliments his speed skills. The 23-year-old should develop into at least a quality major league reserve infielder and could easily earn a starting job if he continues to progress. However, if properly handled, he shouldn't reach the majors before September of 2004 at the earliest.

The Ochoa pick-up looks even better now than at the time of the trade, as the extra outfielder has been vital to the Angels with Tim Salmon's injury, so while I like Raburn's upside, I think he and most likely the second player to be named later will be acceptable costs for the benefit Anaheim's received. Meanwhile, Milwaukee also appears to have made a good deal.

Mike Matthews is the player to be named later from the August 29th trade in which the Brewers dealt Jamey Wright to the Cardinals for Chris Morris and a PTBNL. The 28-year-old left-hander made the unfortunate career decision of pitching well against the Brewers this season, bringing him to their attention. I'm regularly stupefied by the number of general managers who discuss how well the newly acquired player has performed against them in the past when talking about trades. Some front office personnel must be under the impression that the best way to make it to the playoffs is to acquire all of the players that have had good days against you in the past, thereby preventing them from hurting you in the future. If that's the case, there are a whole lot of players Tampa Bay needs to sign. Returning to Matthews, aside from 10 starts last season, he's worked as a reliever for the last two and half years. However, Milwaukee has expressed an interest in making him a part of their rotation next season. I don't think he'll have any more success as a starter than a reliever; he'll simply put up more innings of mediocrity, but Wright was at best an average player the Brewers had no use for over the remainder of the season, so this appears to be a no-win, no-lose situation.

The Brewers profited more from trading Mark Loretta to Houston for two players to be named later, now revealed to be LHP Wayne Franklin and IF-R Keith Ginter. LA drafted Franklin out of the University of Maryland-Baltimore County in the 36th round of the 1996 draft, and the Astros grabbed him in the minor league portion of the 1998 Rule 5 draft. Franklin debuted with Houston in 2000 and spent time with them again last season. However, this season the Astros suddenly decided to move the 28-year-old into the AAA rotation after he'd spent the last four seasons as a reliever and only made 7 starts in 244 minor league appearances.

Franklin responded surprisingly well, compiling a 141:59 K:BB with 153 H and 14 HR allowed in 179 IP for a 3.12 ERA. Provided his arm doesn't disintegrate next season from the shock of pitching close to 100 more innings this year than in any previous season, he's a better candidate for the Brewers' rotation than Matthews. Additionally, he's already shown that he's a capable reliever if he runs into trouble as a starter in the majors. The Astros kicked him off their 40-man roster prior to the season, so they likely wouldn't have been able to retain him.

I was surprised when the Brewers designated Keith Ginter for assignment and actually predicted Milwaukee might pick him up off waivers. On the surface the Astros merely traded two players that didn't fit into their future plans. However, Houston never should have created a situation where they were facing losing both for nothing. Ginter should start at third for the Brewers next season, presuming Ron Belliard is no longer with the team.

The Cubs traded Tom Gordon to the Astros on August 22nd for Russ Rohlicek and two players to be named later, now known to be right-handed pitchers Mike Nannini and Travis Anderson. Houston drafted Nannini out of high school with the 37th overall pick in the first round of the 1998 draft. Although he split 2000 between A Michigan in the Midwest League and A+ Kissimmee in the Florida State League, Nannini spent 2001 at A Lexington in the South Atlantic League because the Astros have not had a A+ affiliate the last two years. He advanced to AA Round Rock this season, compiling 121:64 K:BB with 151 H and 14 HR allowed for a 5.81 ERA. Most of his skills remain solid, and since he's generally displayed better control in the past, his walk problem should pass. The 21-year-old should likely return to AA to start next year and advance to AAA on a high-note mid-season. I expect Chicago will need to find a rotation spot for him by 2005.

Houston drafted Anderson out of the University of Washington in the second round of the 1999 draft. He too was hamstrung by the Astros' lack of a A+ team and repeated A Michigan in the Midwest League in 2001. Unfortunately, unlike Nannini, he wasn't allowed to advance to AA Round Rock this season and instead moved to A Lexington and converted to relief. At least the move to relief suited him, as Anderson improved every aspect of his game, compiling an 81:31 K:BB with 81 H and 7 HR in 84.2 IP for a 4.46 ERA. I wouldn't be surprised if, as a reliever, he's able to start next season in AA and advance to AAA, making him ready to contribute to the Cubs' major league pen in 2004. Chicago GM Jim Hendry really did a good job in converting Tom Gordon into these two players and Rohlicek so late in the season after his early injury problems.