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).

MLB.com reports that the Atlanta Braves and San Diego Padres have completed a three-player trade today, as the Braves acquired hard-throwing left-handed pitcher Royce Ring in exchange for left-handed pitcher Wil Ledezma and minor league left-handed pitcher Will Startup. Ring will be assigned to Richmond, the Braves' Triple-A affiliate.

Ring, 26, appeared in 27 games for Portland (AAA) in 2007, going 4-0 with a 1.99 ERA, a .188 opponents' batting average and 44 strikeouts in 31.2 innings pitched. He also appeared in 15 games for the Padres this season and posted a 1-0 record with a 3.60 ERA and 17 strikeouts in 15.0 innings pitched.

Originally drafted and developed by the Chicago White Sox, Ring was traded to the New York Mets in 2003. He spent the 2004-2005 seasons with the Mets and appeared in 26 games, with a 3.47 ERA and 16 strikeouts in 23.1 innings.

Ledezma, 26, was designated for assignment on Sunday (July 29). Startup, who turns 23 on August 4, has spent three minor league seasons with the Braves organization. Read More...

by Peter J. Pompilio

It was reported Wednesday night that former Met Rickey Henderson, best remembered for playing cards with another player during Game Six of the 1999 NLCS, has been hired as the Mets NEW hitting coach, replacing Rick Down. He began his duties Thursday night when the Mets played the Cincinnati Reds.

To this fan, I find this move atrocious and mind-boggling. Why would you get rid of Rick Down, who has been one of the best hitting coaches in recent memory, and who coached the Yankees back in the early 90's, and hire an out of shape bum like Rickey Henderson? What is Ricky Henderson going to do with the Mets players, play cards with them? Jesus H. Christ, what was Omar Minaya thinking?

I for one HATE this move and I feel that Down got a raw deal. I don't think it was his fault that the bats weren’t on fire. You can’t blame him for Beltran and Delgado not producing the way they did last year. Both guys are in a slump, as Delgado is batting just over .230, and Beltran is hitting around .270. The rest of the lineup though, is still producing. I mean look at what Reyes did in the All Star Game, going 3 for 4 with a run scored. He has really turned it on this season, and in my opinion he is going to steal 70-75 bases (he is at 46 as of today). Others are starting to heat up as well. David Wright seems to be hitting the ball better, Shawn Green is still producing, and hell even Ruben Gotay is getting hits left and right.

In other news…

The Mets do need another bat though. With Milledge coming up he could possibly platoon in left with maybe Easley, or that bum Newhan until Alou comes back (hopefully in early August).

The trade deadline is coming up in 20 days and I see the Mets making some deals. I think they should try to get a deal for White Sox OF Jermaine Dye or another powerful bat (Adam Dunn anyone?). I think both players could be HUGE for this lineup.

They should go after some players in free agency after this season, in particular Eric Byrnes. His defense is spectacular, and he is a decent hitter as well. Omar should invest in him and maybe a new second baseman. Not to say I don’t like Jose Valentin, but I think they should put Easley there next year or try to get a 2B who is a free agent this off-season.

My whole point of this blogpost is this. The Mets need to start hitting the way they were last season or this will be a very LONG summer, and it could prove to be the Mets downfall. I still think Rickey Henderson is not the answer, and Rick Down should still be the hitting coach.

That’s my opinion and I’m sticking to it.

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