Watching the Transaction Wire

The 2006 Major League Baseball season begins right around the corner and the transaction links get more and more interesting. As we get closer to the season, veterans, as well as young prospects start getting pinched from rosters. Today it was Carlos Pena (Tigers) and Darrell May (Twins).

Carlos Pena was a surprise. It doesn't seem long ago when he was a "can't miss" prospect for the Tigers. He was the Cape Cod League MVP in 1997 and then had a great college career.

Pena joined the Tigers in the 2002 season (Pena started the year in Oakland) after a brief stint in Texas the year before. The Tigers have been terrible for a while and Pena became another cog in the next and continuing youth movement for the Tigers.

His first year, Pena showed promise, batting .253 and hit 12 homers, 4 triples and 13 doubles in just 273 at bats. With more playing time in 2003, Pena hit 18 homers but his average dropped 5 points. His average dropped a few more points in 2004, but he did hit 27 homers and drove in 82 runs. He also scored 89 runs since he walked 70 times.

Last year, Pena got off to a slow start and was sent to the minors for a while. With the major league club, his average dipped further but did manage 18 homers and 44 RBI in 260 at bats.

Pena would be a good gamble for another club with a more favorable hitting park than Detroit's cavernous park. Left-handed power can help a club if a team can get him back on track. Pena does walk a lot and has a decent on-base percentage for his career despite the mediocre batting average. Some team should give him a shot.

Darrell May never had the advanced billing that Pena received. May is a left-hander who has pitched for parts of ten seasons with seven different teams. Last year was particularly painful for May.

He caught on with the San Diego and started eight games for that team and had a 1-3 record with a 5.61 ERA. He was then traded to the Yankees for Paul Quantrill. That didn't go very well at all for the pitcher.

With the Yankees, he pitched twice and started once. In seven innings of total work, May gave up 17 baserunners and 13 runs, including four homers. The Yankees sent him packing.

He signed on with Minnesota and after an unimpressive spring, the Twins cut him loose. Since MLB seems to value left-handed pitching no matter how uninspiring, May might catch on with someone. He did have one good season with the Royals (2003) where he went 10-8 with a 3.77 ERA. But the man has given up 123 homers in his career in 660 big league innings.

Baseball is a tough business and careers can end abruptly. That's why the transaction wire is such an interesting place. Every day carries a different story. Here's hoping that the story for Darrell May and Carlos Pena didn't end on March 26, 2006.