Seattle - Saskatoon Trade

Seattle today shipped rising lefthanded starter Glenn Harvell today to Saskatoon, along with this year's sixth round pick Teddy Ozuna. In return, Seattle acquired Curtis Barksdale, Tony Zavala, and Saskatoon's third round selection in the 2009 draft.

The 27-year-old Harvell had shot up the minor league ranks this year, including a 3-0 record with a 0.90 ERA and a 26:3 strikeout to walk ratio in AAA Tacoma. Ozuna, in A ball at the tender age of 17, is a swingman who may be able to make the conversion to the starting rotation.

Barksdale, 24, is a good relief prospect who has posted a 3.76 ERA in AAA with 30 strikeouts in 26.1 innings. Zavala, 20, was picked in the second round by Saskatoon in 2007 but has struggled this year in A ball.

"I frankly don't know if this was a good trade for us or not," said General Manager Mack Shultz. "Harvell has had a big year, and our scouts agree that he's improved. He may not have reached his ceiling yet and, if he does, he may become a pretty good starter up there in Saska-wherever-the-hell-it-is. I'm afraid this one may come back to haunt us."

"I'm just glad to go somewhere that I might be able to join the major league team," said Harvell. "I mean, that Seattle rotation is so overwhelmingly good, I don't know how I'd ever get a shot. Besides, I heard that Saskatoon is the Paris of the Prairies. That's got to be good, right?" Harvell did take at least one shot against his former organization, stating "Hopefully, I can slide into the #5 slot for Saskatoon and stick it up Seattle's &^% every time I face them.""

Barksdale also sounded upbeat about the move. "I was born and raised in the good ol' USA and it will be good to get back to a country with money that's not named after mental patients."

Ozuna and Zavala could not be reached for comment because they just weren't important enough for this reporter to try.

Posted by Seattle Times senior baseball correspondent Max Mercy