And hey, like I said, I usually take the prospects over the vet, and I’m fully aware that it takes a few years before you really know. All I’m saying is that early returns show the stock of some of the prospects dropping.

Just look what happened to the kid last year, only his third in pro ball, only his second full year. He started in AA, moved up to AAA, got a look-see in the AL, got traded, went to AAA Portland and got a look-see in the NL.

That’s two organizations, five teams, five leagues and three levels of competition, all in one year. That’s quite a lot for a 22 year old to adjust to, don’t you think?

The Padres, by some accounts, do a good job of developing pitchers, and maybe they think getting Aaron acquainted with the system at the AA level where he had his best success, in a pitcher’s league, is the best way to get him back on-track. Moving Carter to A+ may serve the same purpose.

A lot of people might disagree with you about Richard, and it looks like Black and Hoyer are two of them. His performance this year as a full-time starter may change their minds, or yours. Just don’t fall into the trap of comparing lefties and righties. There’s a reason baseball values lefties – there are so few of them, and they can have such an effect on the game, that they’re viewed as a separate category.

It’s going to take several years to properly judge the trade, and it’s going to have to include how Li’l Peavy and his violent delivery hold up in his 30′s in a hitter’s ballpark.