Sherring Up the Pen

The O's dealt George Sherrill to the Dodgers for Josh Bell and Steve Johnson.

Orioles Side: The Orioles had no real use for Sherrill and dealt him at his near highest value.

Bell, 22, is a 3B, which is a huge position of need for Baltimore in the coming months. At AA, he has hit .296-.386-.497 with 11 HR's in 334 at bats, though the 70 strikeouts can be a bit distressing. Rated the # 8 prospect in the system prior to the season, he is a big guy (6-3, 235) and will need to stick at 3B to provide the highest value to the O's, though he is likely to be a solid hitter in the majors.

Johnson, 21, was regarded as the Dodgers 15th best prospect prior to the season on the strength of his pitchability with good stuff, as he is the son of former Orioles pitcher Dave. Johnson spent most of this year at High A, going 8-4, 3.82 with 102 K's and 42 walks in 96 innings. He has a high effort delivery and may be a better fit for the pen, especially with the caliber of pitchers coming up through the O's system.

Dodgers Side: Sherrill fills their biggest need and he is a huge upgrade over the Will Ohman's, Brent Leach's and others that have tried to fill that role. This was their main weakness and now have him and Kuo coming at lefties, a huge thing if they meet the Phillies in the playoffs.

Overall: Split. Dead heat. This acquisition helps LA more then the casual fan thinks, but it cost them 2 prospects who look like good bets to be contributors at the major league level.