Let's start with Tim Hudson to Atlanta for a bucket of baseballs.
The Atlanta Braves traded Dan Meyer at the perfect time in December 2004 following easily his best campaign as a professional. In Baseball America's annual top 100 prospect list (put out each February), Meyer jumped from #82 in '04, to #43 entering the '05 season. At his apex, Meyer was a very good prospect, but never projected as a top of the rotation starter like Kazmir. The A's also brought in Juan Cruz, a solid middle reliever, and Charles Thomas whose ceiling was a useful third or fourth outfielder in the Endy Chavez mold. Anybody remember that month on Baseball Tonight when it seemed like Charles Thomas made a sprawling catch a night? Well, Cruz and Thomas both had one bad season for the Athletics before in Cruz's case moving on to Arizona, and in Thomas' case being sent down. Charles' lifetime slugging percentage in 8 Minor League seasons is .383.
Hudson has been a disaster for the Braves, but that's beside the point. At the time of the deal he was an ace in his prime (although a strikeout plunge in '04 was clearly a red flag for the A's), and had considerably more value than Victor Zambrano and his befuddled expression ever had. The As got quantity, but Dan Meyer is no Scott Kazmir.
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