Trade Winds

According to Peter Gammons, the Baltimore Orioles have dealt pitcher Sidney Ponson to the San Diego Padres for first baseman Phil Nevin. According to the report on ESPN.com, this move puts the rumored trade of A.J. Burnett to the Orioles on hold. This may put the Red Sox back into the Burnett sweepstakes. While yesterday I wrote that the Chicago White Sox were the front runners for the Marlins right hander, today things look a lot different. First off, my opinion that the ChiSox were the leaders for Burnett focused on their starters being hit by the Red Sox -- so far that has not happened. In the first two games of the series, starters Mark Buerhle and Jon Garland have pitched effectively. If you are White Sox GM Kenny Williams, why trade for a position of strength (unless, of course, to keep him away from a fellow contender)? Another reason why I believe the Red Sox will get in on Burnett is that they desperately need a swing-and-miss starter in their rotation. Currently, their only true swing-and-miss guy is Curt Schilling and he is closing games right now, not starting. Among the other starters -- Bronson Arroyo, Wade Miller, David Wells and Tim Wakefield -- there is not one man who over powers hitters. Burnett is that kind of pitcher. The knock on Burnett is that he is too inconsistent. That inconsistency is the type of thing that usually goes away when a pitcher is paired with Jason Varitek. Especially when the pitcher in question has the ability of Burnett. Just ask Matt Clement if you doubt that opinion. With just over a week until the non-waiver trade deadline, look for the Red Sox to be an important player.