Monday was a busy day in baseball with a major trade, a long-term contract for Barry Bonds and several other lesser signings. I'm going to limit this article to discussion of the trade in an effort to cover all of the transactions thoroughly. I will include the other items in articles later in the week.

OAK/TEX
Oakland trades LHP Mario Ramos, 1B Jason Hart, OF Ryan Ludwick, and C Gerald Laird to the Texas Rangers for 1B Carlos Pena and LHP Mike Venafro.

There's so much to discuss about this trade, it's hard to know where to start. With the quantity of young talent switching hands in this deal, it's one of the most exciting trades of the off-season and certainly qualifies as a blockbuster.

While Texas has been working to convert Pena to the outfield, he actually ranks at the top of the list of prospects at his natural first base position. In fact, Pena heads the short list of AL prospects ready to contribute in the majors on Opening Day. Despite his potential, the Rangers obviously felt that after signing Juan Gonzalez, they would have no room for Pena on their roster and went in search of a trade.

Since Jason Giambi's departure as a free agent, Oakland has made a few moves aimed at filling the hole at first base, but whereas those were moves were patches, this pick up is a long-term fix. Taking a look at Pena's Major League Equivalencies as found in the STATS Inc. 2002 Minor League Handbook, we see some very impressive numbers. His 2001 minor league numbers translate to a .386 OBP, .528 SLG, and a .279 BA in 426 at bats, including 36 doubles, 22 home runs, and 8 stolen bases. For those of you unfamiliar with MLEs, they represent a player's minor league numbers converted through a formula that takes into account park and league factors, etc. to produce numbers comparable to what that player might have done if he had played for his organization in the majors during the same time period.

These numbers not only indicate that Pena is ready to start in the majors, they strongly suggest that he might be the A's best option as a number three hitter. His MLE OBP is superior to every returning player on the A's roster except Jeremy Giambi and Mario Valdez. As Pena, 23, is both a superior fielder and younger than the two 27-year-olds, giving him the #3 slot now will show confidence in his abilities and allow him to emerge as an offensive force with Miguel Tejada and potentially 2B prospect Esteban German hitting in front of him and Jermaine Dye and Eric Chavez providing protection behind him.

Venafro is a 28-year-old lefty reliever whose salary will likely soon outgrow his potential, if it hasn't already. Although he seems to be fairly good at keeping the ball in the park, Venafro's numbers do not indicate excessive command or dominance. The team just signed Mike Holtz, and while Mike Magnante isn't as young as he used to be, a club really only needs two lefties in the pen. I don't see him detracting to the organization, but I certainly consider him to be more of a throw-in than an asset to the deal.

Now lets take a look at the players acquired by the Rangers. LHP Mario Ramos, who split last year between AA and AAA, appears to be a good though not great prospect. He is not an overpowering starter, but he does seem to produce good results through his finesse and deception. Ramos reportedly complements his mid-80's fastball with an above average change-up and a decent curve ball. The Texas rotation will likely be full with other pitchers, so I would expect Ramos to start the year in AAA in order to gain some additional maturity, although he could very well see major league action in 2002 in either the rotation or the bullpen and is expected to compete for the 5th starter's position in Spring Training.

I mentioned both Jason Hart and Ryan Ludwick as top organization prospects when discussing Oakland after Scott Hatteberg signed. Before the trade, Hart was considered to be the A's first baseman of the future. He's a lot more raw than Pena, and probably has a lower ceiling, but then that's true of almost everyone in the minors. As I previously recommended, Hart should receive another full year at AAA although his 2001 MLEs were much worse than Texas' AA 1B prospect Travis Hafner, so he might have to compete for playing time. Neither of these players is likely a long-term solution after Rafael Palmeiro leaves, so they'll likely split time between 1B and DH until a more permanent solution presents itself. Hart needs to spend this time working on his strike zone judgment, and with the Ranger's major league roster, he should definitely be able to take his time and get it right. I fully expect him to have a productive major league career.

Ryan Ludwick is in a similar position as he also needs additional time in the minors and due to the talent above him at the major league level, should expect to receive it. He's also competing for future playing time with a Texas AA prospect in Kevin Mench, and considering Texas' current preference for veteran players, one or both of these prospects is also likely to be moved in the future. They both offer great power potential as corner outfielders but need to improve their strike zone judgment. Ludwick is especially prone to strike outs.

Laird, the catching prospect, was only in A+ last season but did make an appearance in the Arizona Fall League. He appears to have issues with the strike zone that will need to be resolved before he reaches the majors, but does show some potential. The fact that Oakland experimented with Laird in the outfield and at various infield positions last season indicates that he may not work out as a catcher. However, it makes sense for Texas to acquire a wide variety of catching prospects with an eye towards a possible future without Ivan Rodriguez at catcher.

Texas Assistant GM Grady Fuson left Oakland for the Rangers at the end of the season and probably knows the A's system as well if not better than Beane, which gives even more weight to the theory that while Pena should be the most dominant player involved in this deal, the Rangers received a greater amount of talent in the trade. However, the ramifications of Fuson's position with Texas reach far beyond his ability to provide inside information on the A's system, as Oakland is still pursuing a grievance in connection with the nature of his departure. The A's granted the Rangers interviewing privileges with Fuson for the general manager's position only. Because he signed with them in a lesser position than that of GM, the A's want compensation and as of the last report, have requested 3B Hank Blalock, who is indisputably the Ranger's top prospect after this trade.

I strongly believe that in the long run this trade will merit a gold star in John Hart's memoirs and possibly mark a turning point in Billy Beane's historical dominance of the trade market. This deal not only provided the A's with a long-term 1B replacement who should rival Jason Giambi's production, it greatly improves Oakland's chances at both the playoffs and the Series this year. However, while it adds depth to Texas that can be dealt for a boost at the trading deadline, it pretty much taps the A's system of similar talent. The events of this off-season have certainly brought into question how much of Oakland's organizational genius has been a result of Beane's ability to delegate authority and surround himself with intelligent people rather than his ability to execute original ideas.