Trade Report

Save for the Chaloupas, trade activity stayed low during the Winter Meetings and early Spring Training. We'll see if that translates to bigger trade deadline volume (which was pretty quiet last year after an active pre-season).

Madison gets SS Julio Jose, a defensive specialist who hit .203 over a couple of seasons of backup duty in Austin.
Austin gets LF Omar Cruz, a AAA OF who could see ML duty during September callups.
Analysis: Madison gets the backup they were looking for; Austin makes room for the better-hitting (at least against lefties) Jack Gruber.

Jacksonville gets SP Efrain Zhang, Season 12's 24th pick, and Benito Cordero, a Season 10 2nd-rounder. Zhang projects to a #2 SP, albeit a HR-prone one. Cordero could be a decent 5th starter or LR - he may make the roster this year.
Austin gets RF Kevin Grabowski, a 3-time All-Star
Analysis: The Jokers were desperate for pitching and none was moving; Austin gets the bopper they wanted to go for it now.

Jacksonville gets IF Ismael Lima, a 7-year veteran who has been a regular but was a little-used backup in Nashville last year.
Nashville gets SP Jose Aguilera, an 11-year big leaguer with a career 4.43 ERA and 108 wins.
Analysis: The Ramblers have been looking for pitching and get a guy who has had 3 straight pretty good years in the Jacksonville organization. The Jokers are planning on trying Lima as a (relatively) good-hitting CF, and backing him up with the good-D, no-hit Nate Jenkins.

Rochester gets DH Robert Franco, a former 1st-rounder who hit .307 in 277 AB's as a rookie last year.
Syracuse gets prospect SP Horacio Aquino, a Season 13 IFA who had a promising 2.22 ERA as a rookie.
Analysis: Syracuse gets something for Franco, who belongs in the AL. Rochester adds a good on-base guy.

Sioux Falls gets 1B Marty Daly, 2B Felix Koh, and SP Louie Paniagua
Austin gets LF Richie Scheffer and MiL 2B Edgardo Vazquez
Analysis: Wow, Austin may have made one too many trades here. An All-1B, a promising 2nd-year SP and a solid 2B for Scheffer, although admittedly Scheffer is the best player in the deal. The Presidents gave up Scheffer to get pitching; adding Daly and Koh just creates the high-class problem of having too many good position players on the roster.

Cincinnati gets 2B Leo Glover, a former 2nd-rounder who has been undistinguished in 853 ML AB's.
Trenton gets Alex Booker, a AAA SP who projects to be exactly that.
Analysis: a swap of minor-leaguers, although Glover could see big league action as a vL platooner.