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Tuesday, August 1
Surhoff will be a 'great fit' for Atlanta


Editor's note: ESPN.com senior writer Jayson Stark analyzes the three major trades that took place on Monday.

The B.J. Surhoff deal
A shocker -- but a perfect pickup for the Braves. His professionalism and daily work ethic make him a great fit for the most professional clubhouse in the game. Not to mention, he can really play.

"To me," said an NL executive, "he's one of the best players traded in this whole (deadline flurry)."

The key to the deal from Baltimore's end is Luis Rivera. Fernando Lunar is a catch-and-throw guy who won't hit. And Trenidad Hubbard is with his fifth team in five years.

"Rivera's the pearl in this one," said a scout. "This is basically Rivera for B.J. And Rivera has a chance to be special."

Of all the deals the Orioles have made this week, Rivera is the only high-ceiling prospect they've gotten back. But even he has health questions. He's spent substantial time on the disabled list in three straight seasons for three different problems.

Al Martin for John Mabry and Tom Davey
The Mariners ran through a who's who of outfielders on the market, then wound up with essentially their best fallback deal in Martin.

Martin has had his off-the-field tribulations. But he can still hit, and his upbeat attitude makes him a decent fit on a winner.

"One interesting thing about this situation," said an AL scout, "is that he figures to platoon with Rickey (Henderson). Let's see how that plays with Rickey."

The Padres get an average super-utility man in Mabry. But they may have a find in Davey, who has a tremendous arm but hasn't quite figured it out yet.

Trachsel and Guthrie head to Toronto
The Blue Jays didn't get Curt Schilling, Denny Neagle or Pedro Astacio. But they did get two veteran arms in Steve Trachsel and Mark Guthrie, to go with Esteban Loaiza, whom they traded for earlier. And they didn't have to give up Roy Halladay or Chris Carpenter. But how much better are they?

"I think Guthrie will help them, because now they won't have to go to Pedro Borbon, who's been awful," said a scout. "But Trachsel's the kind of guy who's good one out of every three starts -- and the other two he's not very good. It seems like he doesn't have a middle ground."

But Trachsel does allow them to get Carpenter and Halladay out of the rotation -- and may give them time to straighten themselves out without the pressure of the race.

Brent Abernathy is an overachiever who can run. He gets mixed reviews from scouts. But until the arrival of Homer Bush, he was once envisioned as Toronto's second baseman of the future.
 



ALSO SEE
Stark: Winners, losers, and then some

Trade Central

Starting over: O's deal Surhoff, Clark before deadline

Trade roundup: Martin to Mariners



AUDIO/VIDEO
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 The crew from Baseball Tonight breaks down baseball's deadline trades.
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 The Baseball Tonight crew takes a further look at Monday's trades.
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 ESPN's Peter Gammons and Suzy Kolber reports on the major trades round Major League Baseball.
RealVideo: 28.8

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 B.J. Surhoff is emotional about leaving the Orioles.
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RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6