4. JUST JOSHING

(Rangers get Josh Hamilton from the Reds for RHP Edinson Volquez and LHP Danny Herrera)

Was there a more fascinating deal than this one last winter? Hamilton has made it all the way back from self-induced drug oblivion to rank, in one scout's words, as "one of the 10 most talented players in baseball, just in pure tools and raw talent." And clearly, he's located the key to his toolbox. He's leading the majors in RBIs (36), and he's third only to Manny Ramirez and Kevin Youkilis in the AL in extra-base hits (18).

But Volquez, whom Texas initially force-fed into the big leagues at too young an age, has been writing a spectacular comeback saga himself. He leads the league in ERA (1.06) and lowest slugging percentage allowed (just .238). And he has become the first Reds pitcher since the 1912 invention of earned runs to start a season by allowing no more than one earned run in each of seven straight starts. So the only thing that stops us from placing this trade higher on this list is that, despite these heroics, both teams have been massive disappointments.

Scout's View: "I'm not sure how to rate this one. It's a high-impact trade that hasn't impacted either team."

Granted, Edison Volquez is a huge loss... but the fact of it all is that Volquez wasn't working out too much here. Josh Hamilton was working out well for the Reds. And he's working out here, too, if not playing even better here, since the Ballpark is a hitters park. I think this trade benefited both teams, but the Rangers just a slightly bit more than the Reds.

Home Plate