I've got to say I'm a little bit surprised by this move. The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and Ventura County Plantations decided to trade for Mark Teixeira, and in doing so, gave up one of their best young players in Casey Kotchman.

Kotchman has had small stints with the Angels since 2004, but he got his first significant time up with the club last year when he got over 400 at bats, hit nearly .300, and also proved himself in the field. His numbers have slipped slightly this year, but he is hitting for more power.

Obviously, what's curious about this decision is that while Teixeira is an upgrade from a strict numerical and defensive standpoint, he's going to be a free agent at the end of the season. That means the only reason the Angels could have possibly traded for him is because they must believe they can sign him and get him to stay in town. Otherwise, the move almost literally makes no sense.

My guess, right now, is that the Angels will throw bags of money at him to get him to stay, and likely overpay him, but they have more than enough money to do that.

The move is also a little strange because the Angels currently are the best team in baseball. Even though Teixeira is, by all appearances, a model player, we all the saying "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

But that said, regardless of whether Teixeira stays or goes at the end of the season, right now the Angels are the clear cut favorite to win it all.

From Atlanta's perspective, they get a great budding player in Kotchman and in addition to that, minor league pitcher Steven Marek. I can't speak for how good Marek is, but knowing the Braves' past success with scouting pitchers, my guess is Marek's no stiff.

UPDATE (courtesy of Pat)

According to his KFFL profile, it looks like Marek is actually a very promising prospect. It looks like he has pitched well for Angels' affiliate Cedar Rapids,(notice his name on the leaderboard for ERA in 2006) as well as for the Orem Owlz.

Feel free to weigh in with your thoughts and opinions on the trade.