Sheehan thought the exact same way I did about the trade. As was my recollection, It wasn't just me who thought Valentine was the key to the deal.

http://baseballprospectus.com/articl...articleid=2163

It was business as usual in the AL West, where the A's got some help and the Mariners didn't. Jose Guillen is a stone fluke who could return to earth at any moment, but the price was right: three arms, just one--Joe Valentine--with any chance to burn the A's. Guillen doesn't have to keep hitting .337/.385/.629 to improve the A's; a more modest .280/.330/.500 would be a huge upgrade on their current corner outfielders while fixing a slugging hole in the middle of the lineup. Billy Beane might want to cover his eyes, though: Guillen has 16 unintentional walks in 349 plate apperances. This trade doesn't resemble the Jermaine Dye acquisition in 2001; it is the Jermaine Dye acquisition in 2001.