Cubs Trade Van Buren to the Red Sox
The Chicago Cubs announced today that they traded righthanded relief pitcher Jermaine Van Buren, 25, to the Boston Red Sox for a player to be named later. Van Buren had a 1.87 ERA in 53 innings for double-A West Tenn in 2004 and a 1.98 ERA in 54.2 innings for triple-A Iowa in 2005, serving as the closer for both teams. He got into 6 games for the big league club in 2005, allowing 2 runs in 6 innings (though he walked 9, which was inconsistent with his recent minor league performance). The Cubs had signed Van Buren out of an independent league in May 2003.
Van Buren certainly became more expendable with the signings of Scott Eyre (who's more than a lefty specialist) and Bobby Howry. This helps clear up the current overflow on the 40-man roster. However, given Van Buren's recent top-notch minor league performance and his low cost, I would have liked to have seen him be given a chance to compete for a bullpen spot with the Cubs in 2006.
Related:
Jermaine Van Buren Called Up from Iowa (8/31/2005)
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PTBNL
I just want to go on the record as hating PTBNL trades. I don't mean that as comment on the merit of such trades; I just hate not knowing who's involved.
That aside ... two sides to this coin. For better or worse, Van Buren was expendable. If the Cubs manage to get someone decent in exchange for an indy league pickup, that's to be commended.
On the other hand, it's not like they have no use for a guy who's posted two straight seasons with an ERA under 2.00. Van Buren was very good for Iowa last year and West Tenn in 2004, and I wonder if they couldn't have kept him, saved the money spent on Howry, and come out ahead in the process talent-wise.
But instead, we spend $12 million for a safer bet and whatever spare part Boston has lying around. I guess there's not anything particularly wrong with that, but ... I dunno. Seems like a better way to build an 85-win team than a 95-win team.