I agree I didn’t like the Quentin move when it happened and I still think it was a mistake but you also need to factor in a couple more points. First, if the Diamondbacks had kept Quentin he would have needed a place to play. You couldn’t send him back to Tucson, Carlos had proven all he could in the minors and deserved a big league promotion. Let’s hypothetically assume that Eric Byrnes had continued playing as he was when he was given the extension last year. Quentin would have been relegated to the bench as the fourth outfielder getting limited at-bats. I believe that a lot of the reason Carlos has blossomed in Chicago is that he is getting substantial at bats something he might not have gotten here in Arizona. If you limit Carlos Quentin to only a pinch hitter and 15-20 at bats a month he is not going to progress to being what he is showing. Therefore there was no room for Carlos Quentin once the ink dried on Eric Byrnes signature. Rather than seeing Quentin flounder and never getting the chance to show his true worth the Diamondbacks did what they could to get something of value back and give Carlos an opportunity to actually play in the major leagues.

The second part of the equation was Chris Carter whom they received from the White Sox in exchange for Quentin. This was a necessary chip in order for the Diamondbacks to finalize the Dan Haren trade. The Athletics were looking for a minor league power-hitting first baseman and that was one thing the Diamondbacks didn’t have in their system. So the trade of Quentin provided that piece that they could then flip to get the pitcher they really wanted.

By looking at the overall picture the question you have to ask yourself is, would you trade Carlos Quentin for Dan Haren? The Diamondbacks answer was yes. It freed up necessary roster space, did what was best for the individuals involved (Carlos Quentin, Greg Smith, Dana Eveland, and Carlos Gonzalez) and eliminated some of the log jam the Diamondbacks had at the Triple-A level. The minor league system is still stacked but the talent is now spread out over the lower levels giving them time to let contracts such as Eric Byrnes run their course. A prime example was seen in Spring Training when we saw Gerardo Parra torch major league pitching before he was reassigned to Visalia of the California League. He is probably 2 perhaps 3 years away from the major leagues. That would coincide nicely with the expiration of Eric Byrnes contract allowing them to slide another homegrown young prospect into what will then be a more mature line-up.

The bad part (and the only reason we are really talking about this) is that Eric Byrnes seems to have lost his grasp of the bat and is floundering like a fish begging for water. If he turns things around and numbers even out to be comparable to what Carlos is putting up then the trade won’t look so lopsided. That doesn’t mean I’ll ever like the trade but I will be able to live with it.

Eric Byrnes had a great season for the D-Backs last year, but you’re right… he’s no Carlos Quentin. I took a look back at Quentin’s numbers (as reviewed in my blog) and noticed that the D-Back basically ignored his SLG% increase over the past couple seasons. I know his power didn’t really peak in the desert, but he would’ve been another young force in this Arizona line-up.