Note: John Sickels provides reviews of prospects traded over the last few weeks. Check back here for future updates.

Cincinnati Reds-Colorado Rockies
Trade: Reds send Pokey Reese and pitcher Dennys Reyes to the Rockies for pitchers Gabe White and Luke Hudson.

Hudson: Throws 90 mph, has decent breaking stuff, and did a good job as a rotation workhorse last year while pitching for the Carolina Mudcats in the Double-A Southern League. If he sharpens his command a bit, he has a chance to be a decent fourth or fifth starter.

Texas Rangers-Cleveland Indians
Trade: Rangers acquired John Rocker from the Indians for pitcher Dave Elder.

Elder: Owns a 95 mph fastball, but his slider is mediocre, and his command of both pitches is inconsistent. Basically still just a raw arm, despite being 26.

Seattle Mariners-Colorado Rockies
Trade: Mariners acquired Jeff Cirillo from Rockies for pitchers Jose Paniagua, Dennis Stark and Brian Fuentes.

Stark: Went 14-2, with a 2.37 ERA and fine 130/41 K/BB ratio in Triple-A. Stuff is average to slightly above, but he knows how to pitch, not that that will do him a lot of good in Colorado.

Fuentes: Lefty reliever with a deceptive motion. His fastball is average, but it looks faster due to his delivery and ability to change speeds with his slider and changeup. I think he can be an effective reliever against southpaws.

Boston Red Sox-St. Louis Cardinals
Trade: Red Sox acquired Dustin Hermanson from Cardinals for outfielder Rick Asadoorian and first basemen Luis Garcia and Dustin Brisson.

Asadoorian: First-round pick back in 1999 out of high school in Massachusetts. He has great tools, but has been unable to do anything positive with them yet, due to weak strike zone judgment more than anything else. The fact that the Red Sox were willing to part with a home-state talent is telling.

Garcia: Blocked in Boston, but a decent first base prospect, combined for 26 homers at two levels, hitting .307 combined. Strikes out a lot and doesn't draw many walks, so he isn't a sure thing yet, and will need a year of Triple-A before being ready.

Brisson: Hit .295 in the South Atlantic League. but at age 23 he was a bit old for that level. We need to see what he does at higher levels before we get excited about him, but his plate discipline (40 BB, 76 K) is decent, so he has a chance.

Los Angeles Dodgers-Toronto Blue Jays
Trade: Dodgers send pitcher Paul Quantrill and infielder Cesar Izturis to the Blue Jays for pitchers Luke Prokopec and Chad Ricketts.

Izturis: What you see is what you get. He can hit .240-.260 in the majors, but he won't draw walks often enough for his speed to have much value. He won't hit for power. He is a very good fielder, and at age 22 it isn't impossible that he can get better with the bat.

New York Mets-Oakland A's
Trade: Mets send David Justice to the A's for Mark Guthrie and minor-league pitcher Tyler Yates.

Yates: Has a mixed record, but has been clocked as high as 96 mph. Also throws a hard slider. Saved 17 with a 4.31 ERA last year, in a difficult home park at Double-A Midland in the Texas League. He'll need some Triple-A time to refine his control, but could be a useful middle reliever in a year or two.

New York Mets-Cleveland Indians
Trade: Mets send Matt Lawton, and prospects Alex Escobar, Jerrod Riggan, Billy Traber and Earl Snyder to the Indians for Roberto Alomar and minor leaguers Mike Bacsik and Danny Peoples.

Escobar: Hit .267 with 12 homers and 18 steals for Triple-A Norfolk. Has excellent tools, but doesn't have too many baseball skills, despite being hyped as a prospect for several years. His strike zone judgment remains weak (35 BB/146 K's), and he is rapidly falling into the "overrated prospect" category, though at age 23 he still has time to turn it around. It is entirely possible that his value is at its peak right now, and that the Mets did a good thing in getting rid of him before it becomes obvious to everyone that he won't develop much further. We'll see.

Riggan: Posted 1.95 ERA and 13 saves for Norfolk. Good, solid relief prospect, throws strikes with 90-mph fastball, slider and splitter. I like his chances to help the Indians immediately out of the pen as a right-handed setup man.

Traber: A first-round pick in 2000, Traber is a year away from helping. A lefty, he throws 88-90 mph, has a good slider and splitter. His control is good, but we need to see how his stuff holds up at the higher levels. Solid Grade B prospect.

Snyder: Old for a Double-A first baseman at 26, but it's hard to argue with his numbers: .281, 20 homers, 35 doubles. He's not toolsy and scouts haven't been wild about him, but he has real power, enough to be useful as a platoon first baseman/DH guy.

Bacsik: Finesse lefty, went 12-5 with 3.26 ERA for Triple-A Buffalo. Doesn't throw hard, relies on command of his fastball and changeup. Possible fourth or fifth starter for some teams, but his margin for error is small.

Peoples: Hit 17 homers for Buffalo, but hit just .222. Good power, but looks like he's a minor-league slugger due to low batting average and excessive strikeouts.

Seattle Mariners-San Diego Padres
Trade: Mariners send Brett Tomko, Tom Lampkin, prospect Ramon Vazquez, and cash to the Padres for Ben Davis, Alex Arias, and prospect Wascar Serrano.

Vazquez: A solid player who broke through with a strong season in the Pacific Coast League, hitting .300 with 76 walks and 10 homers. He's a very good defensive shortstop, and seems ready for a full major-league trial. I think he can hit .275 with a nice on-base percentage for the Padres.

Serrano: Works with a fastball that can hit 95 mph, though 90-93 is his usual range. Also has a strong slider, though he's struggled with the changeup at times. Posted a weak 6.56 ERA in swingman action for the Padres, but he usually struggles in his first experience at a new level. Moving to the Mariners, where there will be less pressure for him to thrive immediately, will help him develop.

Cincinnati Reds-Detroit Tigers
Trade: Tigers trade Juan Encarnacion and prospect Luis Pineda to the Reds for Dmitri Young.

Pineda: This right-hander has one of the best arms in the Tigers system, capable of throwing 95-98 mph frequently. Also, has a slider and a curve, both of which show good potential. Pineda's biggest problems have been staying healthy and overcoming his reputation for being "colorful." He pitched well last year, fanning 92 in 86 innings at Double-A, allowing just 68 hits and posting a 3.05 ERA. He has a lot of raw ability, but not always the refinement to use it.

Chicago Cubs-Toronto Blue Jays
Trade: Alex Gonzalez to the Cubs for Felix Heredia and prospect James Deschaine.

Deschaine: Doesn't have the prospect pedigree that scouts like, but it's hard to argue with his numbers: .289, 21 homers, 62 walks in the Florida State League. His defense at shortstop is adequate, and if his bat proves out at higher levels, he could be a very productive player. His main negative is age: at 24, he is somewhat old for an A-ball prospect.

Chicago Cubs-Florida Marlins
Trade: Cubs send prospect Nate Teut to the Marlins for left-hander Jesus Sanchez.

Teut: Went 13-8 with 5.12 ERA in 29 starts for the Triple-A Iowa Cubs. Fanned 125 in 167 innings, but gave up 184 hits. Teut has a decent arm, running his fastball to 90 mph. His slider is OK, but none of his pitches are spectacular, and he'll need to improve his command if he wants to succeed in the majors. Since he's a live-armed southpaw, he should get plenty of chances. His best bet may be in the bullpen.

Oakland A's-Toronto Blue Jays
Trade: Oakland sends third baseman Eric Hinske and pitcher Justin Miller to Toronto for closer Billy Koch.

Hinske: A strong slugger, Hinske hit .282 with 24 homers, 20 steals, and 54 walks for Triple-A Sacramento. Oakland didn't have room for him, however, thanks to the presence of Eric Chavez at the hot corner, so trading him makes sense. Hinske, 23, is not a superstar-type talent, but should be able to put up solid numbers. He'd likely hit .250-.260 in a full season, with 20 homers and decent defense. He has growth potential as well, and could have some Corey Koskie-like ability down the road.

Miller: Miller went 7-10 with a 4.75 ERA for Sacramento, with a decent 134/64 K/BB ratio. Like Hinske, he didn't have a spot waiting for him in Oakland, but could move into a role for the Blue Jays in '02. He throws 92-96 mph with his fastball, complementing it with a plus slider and a promising split-finger pitch. His changeup is mediocre, and some people think he'd be better off in the bullpen. He needs to sharpen his command a bit more, but has excellent potential.

John Sickels is working on the 2002 STATS Minor League Scouting Notebook. He lives in Lawrence, Kansas, with his wife, son, and two cats. You can send John questions or comments at JASickels@aol.com, or you can visit his homepage at hometown.aol.com/jasickels/page1.html.