Tampa Bay finally decides to pull the plug on Scott Kazmir and trades him across the country to the Angels. Kazmir has struggled mightily and been injured and has always had difficulty harnessing his stuff anyway. So what do the Rays get back from the Angels? Not some random A-ball live arm who'll be selling insurance in two years, but a legitimate slugging second baseman who has already destroyed AAA twice and is still just 24 years old. That's plain old unfair. It had become clear that Sean Rodriguez was never going to get a clear shot in Anaheim. Howie Kendrick couldn't do a damn thing this year, so Rodriguez got 29 whopping plate appearances. He didn't hit for average (.200), but he did hit for power (.220 ISO), and he even walked a few times (three), consistent with his minor league profile (51 walks in 435 PAs, .317 ISO).

Yes, Salt Lake is a bandbox, but here's a guy with obvious power (you can't take that much air out of a .300+ ISO) who's definitely a second baseman and who's maybe even a shortstop (he's actually got more SS games in his minor league career, but the trend is toward second). Anaheim really couldn't use that?

Mostly I'm just frustrated because I'd always hoped Rodriguez would end up playing short on the A's. Oh well.