Former Pirate Brandon Moss Signs With Phillies; Jason Bay Trade In Disarray

Former Bucs outfielder Brandon Moss has signed a minor-league deal with the Phillies. Moss was one of the players acquired in the 2008 Jason Bay trade, and while he didn't have a ton of upside, there was reason to hope that he would provide good defense and a bit of power while being a cheap league-average outfielder for a few years. Obviously, that didn't happen.

The Bay trade now essentially boils down to pitching prospect Bryan Morris (who, mercifully, had a good season in 2010). Moss is gone, Andy LaRoche imploded spectacularly in 2010 and will be trying to stick with the team as a utility infielder in 2011, and reliever Craig Hansen, a wild card to begin with, went down with a rare nerve disorder and is trying to revive his career. Bay's career is falling apart too after a disastrous season with the Mets, but the Pirates' return in the trade for him obviously leaves a lot to be desired. Strangely, they got quite a lot (Jose Tabata and Ross Ohlendorf) the same year in return for Damaso Marte and the overrated Xavier Nady, so if you just pretend the returns of the trades were switched, everything comes out looking a lot better.