Orioles - Acquired Hawkins

Baltimore Orioles - Acquired P LaTroy Hawkins from the San Francisco Giants for P Steve Kline.

A fair, if rather dull trade.  Both pitchers have been useful in the past and were disappointments in 2005.  Steve Kline gives the Giants another lefty other than Jeff Fassero and Jack Taschner, something they could use since they lost Scott Eyre.  The Orioles aren’t deep in bullpen lefties, but they don’t want Kline back after his jerkass outbursts and will be content with either Tim Byrdak or another, yet-to-be-acquired lefty in Kline’s role.  Hawkins and Kline are both signed for 2006 only - Kline makes $3 million and Hawkins gets his fully-vested $4.5 million option.  Hawkins is probably the better pitcher but is also the more expensive one.

Transactions with explosions and partial nudity are more exciting than unwanted reliever swaps between .500 teams.  That is, unless the partial nudity takes place at the GM meetings.

2006 ZiPS Projections
——————————————————————————————-

Player         W   L   G  GS   IP    H   ER  HR  BB  SO   ERA
——————————————————————————————-

Hawkins        6   4  72   0   70   68   31   8  19  54  3.99

Kline          2   4  69   0   58   56   31   7  28  34  4.81