Trader Ned At It Again, Sends Claudio Vargas To Brewers

The Dodgers traded reliever Claudio Vargas to the Brewers for minor league catcher Vinny Rottino. This looks like an unsuccessful attempt to sell high on Vargas, whose ERA is insanely better than anything he's ever accomplished previously (his 255 ERA+ is more than double his previous best at 104), and didn't appear to be part of any of the Dodgers' plans going forward anyway. Rotoworld thinks the Brewers will try and convert him to starting thanks to injuries to Dave Bush and Jeff Suppan. Rottino profiles as a reserve catcher, if that; he's had an undistinguished career in the majors so far, and the Brewers consistently opted for other backup backstops. Meh.