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If Branyan is only for this year then this is stupid. 
But Branyan is better than Broussard.  By like head and shoulders.  And Zeke is worse than Choo and Cab.
 
Might as well say "No one EVER trade for an Ace at the deadline, because it never works out!!!!1121!!!"
 
Except that sometimes it does work out.
 
Branyan was a 125 OPS+ guy last year, and he is this year.  Will he be next year?  If moderately healthy, probably.  How about the year after?  I don't care, because the hope is we won't NEED him in 2012.  A young guy will be ready.
 
But Carp is not that guy, and Kotchman is not that guy, and Nelson is not that guy, and Everidge is not that guy.
 
Nobody who is in AA or AAA is that guy (unless Peguero somehow recaptures his first month, I suppose).  Maybe you believe Mike Wilson SHOULD be that guy, and they should just give him a 1B glove and let him play.
 
Fine.  If Mike Wilson is NOT that guy and we still have no power next year, will Jack Z be back in 2012?
 
This isn't really about solving a problem for this year, although it does help the offense over the next few months and will hopefully help prevent us from losing 100 games this year. 
 
This is about letting all the guys know NOW that the pathetic HR output of this team, that the vast lack of power at power positions (what's the OPS of our starting 3B again?) won't continue. And it makes sure that we don't come back from FA empty-handed on power hitters like we did last year.
 
Bavasi made remarkable ill-planned trades when he was worried about losing his job.  Jack just traded two guys who were not gonna get a chance here and who don't seem likely to be more than bench players anytime in the next several years for a MOTO hitter for the next 1.5 seasons.  I don't think the two men are especially comparable, even if you consider this a "panic" move.  It's almost impossible to fill all a team's needs in FA.  You need young players to contribute, get a good trade or two in, and then plug a couple of holes via FA.
 
Jack didn't wait for FA to fill one of our 1B/DH holes.
 
Since when was taking care of a problem 6 months early a bad thing?  Maybe it's 6 months late, instead (and I think it is) but I'd rather know one of those slots is filled with a decent player in 2011.
 
Now I believe it is.
 
I reserve the right to change this post to full agreement with Matt if we don't have Branyan in 2011, however.
~G