A flurry of deadline deals have been going on. As a Mariners fan, the A’s – Reds trade that brough Jose Guillen to Oakland for Aaron Harang is one of the most interesting. I’m most of the way through Moneyball and this looks like a classic Beane trade to me. He didn’t like Harang and Guillen is (I think, I’ve been trying to find the details of his contract – I think it is a 1 year deal for under $1 million) pretty cheap.

Beane seems to agree: “This year, we really have guys that are untouchable, and we weren’t going to trade guys just to trade. This wasn’t a painless trade, but it was pretty easy.”

The A’s have rookie Rich Harden (who is supposed to be a Tim Hudson clone), John Halama (who can spot start) and a couple of young guys in the bully and AAA that can start in a pinch. They didn’t need Harang and if Guillen is a bust, he didn’t cost much.

Weird things happen in baseball. From today’s Rob Neyer Chat:

Vince (Pittsburgh): With the past Sauerbeck trade and now the Suppan trade, the end result is that the Pirates traded Suppan and Sauerbeck to the Red Sox for Freddy Sanchez. That is about right. I will hide my disgust. Who is this Sanchez and is he worth two major league pitchers in any way, shape or form?

Rob Neyer: Sanchez is a good prospect having a great season in triple-A. No, I don’t think he’s worth two major-league pitchers, but the Pirates might have, in Sanchez, their second baseman for the next five or six years. So let’s wait and see.

I was bummed to see Aaron Boone go to the Yankees instead of the Mariners. Cirillo has really become an albatross for them. I thought he’s have a bounce back year this year. If some of the A’s hitters start hitting like they have in the past, the A’s, Mariners and Red Sox may be in a pretty tight race for 2 post-season spots.

If I want to win my fantasy league this season, I think I need to make a deal for a pitcher who gets more K’s – I’ll probably have to give up a keeper or two to do it too. Time to go shopping.