Who's bad?

Dave Bush and his 4.91 ERA? Pretty bad.

With the Gun Show and Slum Lords involved in a pissing contest over who's the worst team in the land (even though we all know it's the T-Baggers), let's take a look at the franchise-shaping moves made by Carlo Cognata over the last week.

1) Traded Tom Glavine and Mike Mussina to the Lynchmob for Dave Bush - When all's said and done, this move is pretty meaningless. None of the pitchers involved are anything more than two-start pitchers at this point in their careers. Bush has been a disappointment after being tabbed by nearly everyone as a major sleeper this year. At best the Lords gained a couple years of mediocrity.

2) Traded Trevor Hoffman and Bill Hall to the Blunted Stophers for Ian Snell - This is a good deal for the Slum Lords. Hoffman likely won't be around by the time they're competitive, and relievers can always be found. Bill Hall's worthless next year as an OF. Snell has struggled of late, but the 26-year-old is still sitting pretty with a 3.66 ERA and 1.24 WHIP.

3) Picked up Ian Stewart and Joe Saunders - Maybe Carlo didn't get the memo, but Stewart hasn't been a top prospect in two years. Unowned for most of this season before being picked up a week or so ago by the Gun Show, the third baseman hasn't slugged over .500 in his last two minor league seasons and currently sits at .477 this season despite playing half his games in the friendly confines of Colorado Springs. Those road numbers -- .269/.350/.412 -- aren't pretty. As for Saunders, he's not a strikeout guy and that 1.38 WHIP suggests an ERA closer to last year's (4.74 ERA, 1.43 WHIP) than this season's 3.16 mark. He's only pitched 42.7 innings, so expect that number to rise. No better than a two-start pitcher. Neither player appears to be an addition worth bragging about.

The Lords definitely got younger, but did they get better? With Snell likely the only impact player coming from these moves, along with his playing on one of the worst teams in baseball, it doesn't appear likely. They now have a hole at closer that Jorge de la Rosa isn't going to be able to fill. But the Lords do have time and David Price is on the horizon. I wouldn't call their future bright, more like partly cloudy with periods of sunshine.

Rumblings & Grumblings

- Kudos to the Gun Show for picking up SP prospect Gio Gonzalez for SS Orlando Cabrera, dropped today by the MattroStars. To get anything for the 33-year-old in the midst of an out-of-character first half was a coup. "Maybe we panicked a little bit when Miggy went down," MattroStars owner Matt Grisafi said. "Khalil [Greene] went on a bit of a run there so it turns out we didn't need him. We felt the difference between Gio and Wade Davis was minimal. Better safe than sorry I guess."

- After talks to move Greene or Cabrera failed, the Stars surprisingly dropped both. The Blunted Stophers reportedly had interest in Greene before dealing for Bill Hall this week. "Miggy's back and looks just fine. Neither would see our lineup and they've both been around a while, we pretty much know what to expect from them in the future. With the emergence of Ryan Garko and Ian Kennedy, we'd rather see if those guys have a future with us."

- With the trade deadline approaching one wonders when, or if, the T-Baggers fire sale will happen. Jermaine Dye and Raul Ibanez have lost most, if not all, of their value. "Helton, Wigginton, Lowell, Dye, Wickman, Weathers -- he should be shopping all those guys. I haven't heard a word from him," says one owner. "Maybe he's taking the E-Balls approach," says another.