Talking Chop

Determined not to give up on the season just yet, John Schuerholz acquired outfielder/pinch hitter Daryl Ward from the Washington Nationals for former first-round supplemental pick right-handed pitcher Luis Atilano. The deal is rather surprising in that Atilano recently had Tommy John surgery on his pitching elbow and will miss all of 2007.

Ward will apparently be used in the Todd Hollandsworth fashion as a pinch-hitter, and occasional outfielder. I guess he would take the place of a Brian Jordan or a Scott Thorman on any playoff roster (cough, cough).

It's a surprising deal, being that one would think our efforts and prospects (even the injured ones) would be better used to acquire some healthy arms out of the bullpen or in the rotation. That seems to be a bigger need at this point. This sort of smacks as the last gasps of a General Manager who only knows how to prepare his team for the playoffs.

Ward will be a free agent at the end of the year, so like Hollandsworth last year, he is a one month rental. He was once considered to be one of the next great Houston power bats when he came up in 1999, but his average never caught up with his power. He is enjoying one of his best years in 2006, much of the reason for that is that he has finally controlled his strikeouts enough to be effective in pressure situations.