Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun reports that the Orioles have traded ex-Met Steve Trachsel to the Cubs for two prospects.

The Orioles today traded veteran right-hander Steve Trachsel to the Chicago Cubs for Triple-A reliever Rocky Cherry and Triple-A third baseman Scott Moore.

Cherry, a 28-year-old right-hander, was 2-0 with a 4.59 ERA and seven saves in 43 games for Triple-A Iowa. He also made 12 relief appearances for the Cubs, going 1-1 with a 3.00 ERA.

Moore, 23, batted .265 with 19 home runs and 69 RBIs for Iowa. He appeared in two games for the Cubs and went hitless in five plate appearances. He played 16 games for the Cubs last season, hitting .263 with two homers and five RBIs.

Baseball America named Moore, the eighth overall pick by the Detroit Tigers in the 2002 draft, the Cubs' seventh best prospect after last season.

Both players are expected to join the Orioles in Boston when rosters expand tomorrow.

Trachsel, who the Orioles signed just days before spring training when they learned that Kris Benson would likely need shoulder surgery and miss the entire season, went 6-8 with a 4.48 ERA in 20 starts for the Orioles.

He allowed three earned runs or less in 17 of 25 starts and was especially good in August, going 1-1 with a 2.37 ERA. Today marks the last day for teams to acquire players that are eligible for the playoff roster.

This is a great trade for Trachsel, he moves from the bottom of the AL East to the thick of the NL Central. Trachsel figures to be a big part of the Cubs' playoff chase. The Orioles also benefit by unloading an aging pitcher who does not factor into their 2008 plans. In exchange they acquire a reliever (Cherry) who could help reshape their horrible bullpen and some infield depth (Moore).