Well, in the end we go for a slightly more low-key FA signing, principally because there really wasn't anyone else on offer that I wanted but I know we need to keep turning players over. So Walt is a nice long-term pickup for us, and on a 4+1/$97 deal he's pretty reasonably-priced as well.
Following that, we pull this deal with the White Sox.
I call this sort of swap a "Now and Then" deal - one that doesn't hurt us too much now and really helps us then.
Kerr plateaus quickly and is expensive, which puts him on my hit list twice, and with Boone now on board he is even less essential. Hartung's lack of OF flexibility and the fact that the pitching side of his repertoire hasn't really come on made him dispensable. Would have liked to have kept Kennedy, but he was needed to close the deal.
I've had my eye on Raschi for some time and he is another longer-term type for us who we'll try and lock down on a multi-year deal. On the min for the next two years. Rojek gives us 2B/3B/SS utility value with an OK bat, but is out of contract at the end of '48. Zabala is for AAA.
