Cabrera Trade: Boom or Bust?

And now for something completely different...

Trading deadlines are boom or bust times for Twins fans: Shannon Stewart in 2003 — boom. Baylor, Brunansky, Gladden in 1987 — big boom. Luis Castillo in 2007 — bust.

That's what makes the Twins most recent move, trading for Oakland shortstop Orlando Cabrera, so interesting — it's hard to classify it as earth-shatteringly spectacular or absolutely abysmal.

Cabrera's upsides are obvious: A veteran middle-infielder, batting a reliable .280 (and a red-hot .377 over the last month), and a solid presence in the Twins lineup's troublesome two-hole. But more than his ability to plug holes in the lineup, he's evidence that the front office actually listens to its players, who were obviously disenchanted about the lack of necessary deadline deals in years past.

What makes the trade interesting are his downsides — both of which really aren't his fault:

First, given the recent signing of Mark Grudzielanek, Cabrera's downside is the fact that he's a middle-infielder. Playing both Grudzielanek and Cabrera necessitates benching or sending down Nick Punto, Alexi Casilla, Brendan Harris, and Matt Tolbert. And even if you're not the biggest Punto, Casilla, Harris, or Tolbert fan, the removal of any or all of the above from the lineup means the Twins are down a "Piranha" in their lineup (Grudzielanek doesn't have great speed and isn't a threat to steal, but isn't a threat to bomb the ball out of the park).

Second, given the recent struggles of the Twins staff, another Cabrera downside is the fact that he isn't a pitcher. The team probably needed to land a starting pitcher, and given the fact that both the White Sox (Jake Peavy) and the Tigers (Jarrod Washburn) landed starters, the Twins most glaring wound remains open and unhealed.

Like I say, the mere fact that the Twins made a deal at all is remarkable, and somewhat exciting in itself. But it's hard to get really charged about the deal unless the team's fortunes really turn around.