Finally, a move from Wayne Krivsky that I find neither inexplicable nor completely insane. And I suspect Hamilton will do very well in Texas. But how jealous is Dunn about now?

Check out the Reds’ press release:

CINCINNATI — Cincinnati Reds Executive Vice President and General Manager Wayne Krivsky today announced the acquisitions of RHP Edinson Volquez and minor league LHP Danny Herrera from the Texas Rangers in exchange for OF Josh Hamilton.

Volquez, 24, last season won the Nolan Ryan Pitcher of the Year Award as the best minor league pitcher in the Rangers’ organization. In 26 starts at Class A Bakersfield, Class AA Frisco and Class AAA Oklahoma he went 14-6 with a 3.67 ERA while allowing minor league opponents to hit just .190 overall. He also went 2-1 with a 4.50 ERA in 6 starts for Texas.

Among Rangers farmhands in 2007, Volquez ranked first in strikeouts (166 in 144.2 innings), second in victories and fifth in ERA. He entered 2007 rated by Baseball America as the third-best prospect in the organization. Following the season he was ranked as the 13th-best prospect in the entire Pacific Coast League.

Herrera, 23, was selected by the Rangers in the 45th round of the June 2006 first-year player draft. He was named by Baseball America as a 2006 Draft First-Year All-Star after posting a 1.45 ERA in 5 starts and 12 relief appearances for the AZL Rangers and Class A Bakersfield. He spent most of last season, just his second in professional baseball, at Class AA Frisco and went 5-2 with a 3.78 ERA in 34 relief appearances.

Hamilton, 26, last season for the Reds hit .292 with 19 HR and 47 RBI in 90 games. He was on the disabled list twice.

And the one from Texas:

Arlington, Texas — The Texas Rangers announced today that the club has acquired outfielder Josh Hamilton from the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for right-handed pitcher Edinson Volquez and left-handed pitcher Danny Herrera. Hamilton completed a physical examination today.

“It’s an exciting day for the Rangers family,” General Manager Jon Daniels said. “The addition of Josh Hamilton gives us another youthful, charismatic and impactful player to build around. We expect Josh will be a critical part of a bright Rangers future.”

Hamilton, 26, hit .292 with 19 home runs and 47 RBI in his rookie season in 2007. He hit 19 home runs in just 298 at-bats this past season, as his ratio of a home run every 15.68 at-bats was the 10th-highest figure among Major League players with at least 290 at-bats. Hamilton had the 2nd-highest slugging percentage (.554) among all National League rookies last season, trailing only N.L. Rookie of the Year Ryan Braun. Hamilton’s slugging figure was higher than that of any Texas batter in 2007.

The 6-foot-4, 235-pound left-handed batter also ranked among N.L. rookie leaders in home runs (4th), walks (5th, 33), on-base percentage (5th, .368), extra-base hits (7th, 38), total bases (8th, 165), and runs (8th, 52) in 2007. Hamilton led both the Reds and all N.L. rookies with 7 outfield assists, a figure which ranked 2nd among all big league rookies despite appearing in just over half his team’s games. He endured a pair of disabled list stints, once with gastroenteritis and once with a sprained right wrist, and also missed the final 17 games of the season with a strained right hamstring and a sore right wrist. He received 151,245 write-in votes for the All-Star Game, the most of any player in the National League.

Hamilton was acquired by Cincinnati in a Dec. 7, 2006 trade with the Chicago Cubs shortly after the Cubs had selected him in the 2006 Rule 5 Draft. Prior to making his Major League debut in 2007, Hamilton had appeared in just 98 professional games over the previous 6 years combined due to injuries and an MLB suspension. The first overall selection in the 1999 June draft, Hamilton was the recipient of numerous awards in his Minor League career and was ranked as the top prospect in several categories by Baseball America in 2000 and 2001. Following his senior season at Athens Drive High School in Raleigh, North Carolina in 1999, Hamilton was named USA Baseball’s Amateur Player of the Year and Baseball America’s High School Player of the Year. He is one of just 22 high school players in the 43-year history of the amateur draft to be selected with the first overall pick. Others on that list of 22 high school players include Ken Griffey Jr., Chipper Jones, Alex Rodriguez, and Joe Mauer.

Hamilton played primarily center field in his rookie campaign, appearing in 71 games with 64 starts in center. He also had 9 starts in right and 2 starts in left field. His first career start on April 10 at Arizona produced his first career hit, a 2-run homer off Edgar Gonzalez. He made the Opening Day roster for Cincinnati after batting .403 and hitting safely in 21 of 25 games in Spring Training.

Volquez went 2-1 with a 4.50 ERA (17 ER/34.0 IP) in 6 games/starts as a September call-up for Texas last season. He spent most of the year at the top three levels of the Rangers farm system, combining to go 14-6, 3.67 (59 ER/144.2 IP) in 26 games/starts. Originally signed by Texas as a non-drafted free agent on Oct. 29, 2001, Volquez will be entering his 7th professional season in 2008.

Herrera has gone 11-5 with a 2.59 ERA over his first 2 professional seasons, mostly pitching in relief. He split last season with Bakersfield and Frisco, going 2-0, 3.27 in 7 games/one start in the California League and 5-2, 3.78 in 34 relief appearances in the Texas League.

I woke up this morning to find my truck buried under several inches of snow that fell overnight, along with a warning in my e-mail from the National Weather Service office here in Buffalo to expect another 4-10 inches by tomorrow morning. Ergo, I need a baseball fix. And since you need your weekly summary of player transactions from the past week, it’s a match made in heaven.

As usual, clicking on the first instance of a player’s name will open his stats page on Baseball-Reference.com for your convenience in determining whether you should applaud your team’s moves this week, or organize a mob to descend upon the club offices with pitchforks and torches. Unless you have your browser settings botched beyond repair, the page will open in a new window. Just close it to get back here.

For at least three of the guys mentioned below, I will resist (albeit barely) the temptation to link to the Mitchell Report instead of to their pages on Baseball Reference.

Sunday 12/9 – No transactions were made in the NLC, possibly because all the GMs in the division spent the day at church, praying that none of their players would be named in the Mitchell Report.

Monday 12/10 – Brewers DFA’ed OF Kevin Mench and signed RHP Eric * Gagne to a one-year contract.

Tuesday 12/11 – Brewers outrighted OF Laynce Nix to Class-AAA Nashville, signed C Eric Munson to a one-year contract (thus avoiding arbitration), DFA’ed RHP Matt Wise, and signed RHPs Greg Aquino and Seth McClung and C Mike Rivera to one-year contracts.

Wednesday 12/12 – Busy day:

• The Cardinals signed LHP Ron Flores and C Mark Johnson to minor league contracts with invitations to spring training, re-signed RHP Hugo Castellanos and 3B Rico Washington to minor league contracts with invitations to spring training, tendered one-year contracts to RHP Todd Wellemeyer, C Yadier Molina, and OF Rick * Ankiel, non-tendered IF Aaron Miles, making him a free agent.
• The Pirates signed free agent INF Chris Gomez to a one-year contract, and non-tendered 1B Brad Eldred and RHP Brian Rogers, making them free agents.
• The Brewers tendered one-year contracts to SS J.J. Hardy, RHPs Dave Bush and Claudio Vargas, and LHPs Brian Shouse and Chris Capuano, and non-tendered the aforementioned RHP Matt Wise and OF Kevin Mench, making them free agents.
• The Astros acquired SS Miguel * Tejada from the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for OF Luke Scott, RHP Matt Albers, LHP Troy Patton, RHP Dennis Sarfate and 3B Mike Costanzo; Claimed RHP Ryan Houston (isn’t that special?) off waivers from the Toronto Blue Jays; non-tendered SS Adam Everett, making him a free agent (and he’s gone, the Twins signed him on Thursday).
• The Reds tendered 2008 contracts to 2B Brandon Phillips and RHP Matt Belisle. They also non-tendered SS Jerry Gil and RHP Brad Salmon, making them free agents – and promptly re-signed both to minor league contracts with invitations to spring training.
• The Cubs non-tendered RHP Mark Prior, making him a free agent.

Thursday 12/13 – The Cubs signed LHP Neal Cotts to a one-year contract.

Friday 12/14 – The Astros acquired RHP Jose Valverde from the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for INF Chris Burke and RHPs Juan Gutierrez and Chad Qualls. The Brewers lost RHP Greg Aquino, who was claimed off waivers by the Orioles.

Saturday 12/15 – As RHM told us in the post below, the Cardinals traded OF Jim Edmonds to the Padres for 3B David Freese.

And that’s the way it was in the NLC this week.

John K. (HMZ)

The Cardinals have agreed to a deal to send centerfielder Jim Edmonds to the Padres in exchange for David Freese. From the Cardinals site:

Freese, who will turn 25 in April, was selected in the ninth-round of 2006’s First-Year Player Draft. After an impressive pro debut split between short-season Eugene and low Class A Fort Wayne, he had a big year at high Class A Lake Elsinore in his first full pro season. Freese hit .302 with a .400 on-base percentage, a .489 slugging percentage, 17 home runs, 69 walks, 96 RBIs and 102 runs scored.

OK, so I like this idea, though I imagine saying goodbye to Edmonds this way is difficult for Cardinal nation. Either way, though, his time with the team was short. He is 37.

Edmonds has full 10-and-five no-trade protection as a result of having 10 years’ Major League service time, including the past five with the same team. However, he hails from Orange County, Calif., making San Diego an appealing destination. Edmonds has hinted that 2008, the final season on his current contract, could be his last year in the big leagues before retirement.

So far, I’ve seen no comment from George Grande.

The Houston Astros already ranked worst among farm systems in the league, which may explain why they had to trade five players to the Orioles for one Miguel Tejada. Doesn’t leave them a lot to work with to negotiate starting pitching. Maybe they’re counting on Clemens coming back.

HOUSTON — The Houston Astros announced today that the club has acquired infielder Miguel Tejada from the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for right-handed pitcher Matt Albers, third baseman Michael Costanzo, left-handed pitcher Troy Patton, right-handed pitcher Dennis Sarfate and outfielder Luke Scott. The announcement was made by General Manager Ed Wade.

“We’ve added a run-producing, All-Star shortstop who will be an absolute force in the middle of our lineup,” said Wade. “With the exception of some time missed in 2007, Miguel has been someone who plays hard for every single inning of every single game. Placing him in our lineup solidifies the offense and gives us a very tough batting order.

“We gave up some outstanding players and prospects in this deal, and it hurts. But if you’re going to add a major piece to your club, the price is normally high.”

I am so very pleased that Fukudome has landed in the NLC. I can’t wait to hear George Grande–the guy who won’t say the “Damn” in “Best Damn Sports Show”–try to pronounce his name.

P.S. – I understand the deal was 4 years, $48 million, though the press release never says.

CHICAGO — The Chicago Cubs today announced the club has agreed to terms with outfielder Kosuke Fukudome on a four-year contract through the 2011 season pending the passing of a physical, expected to take place next week in Chicago. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

“On behalf of the entire Cubs organization, we’re honored Kosuke Fukudome has chosen to become a member of the Chicago Cubs and very excited to introduce him to our great fans,” said Cubs Vice President/General Manager Jim Hendry. “We are looking forward to welcoming him to Chicago next week and helping make Wrigley Field his home.”

A native of Kagoshima, Japan, Kosuke Fukudome (pronounced “KOH-skay foo-koo-DOUGH-may”) has spent his entire nine-year pro career with the Chunichi Dragons, where he batted .305 with a .397 on-base percentage and a .543 slugging percentage in 1,074 career games. Fukudome was a two-time Central League batting champion, led the league in on-base percentage three times and four times won a Gold Glove for defensive excellence in the outfield.

Fukudome has posted an on-base percentage of .430 or better in each of the last three seasons and hit 23 or more home runs for four seasons in a row from 2003-06, including a career-best 34 home runs in 2003. He has topped 30 home runs twice, eclipsed 100 runs scored three times, reached 30 or more doubles four times and surpassed 70 extra-base hits three times, including a career-high 83 extra-base hits in 2006 (47 doubles, five triples, 31 home runs).

The 30-year-old Fukudome won Central League Most Valuable Player honors in 2006 when he batted .351 with 31 home runs and a career-high 104 RBI. Fukudome won the batting title, 28 points ahead of his closest competitor, while his .438 on-base percentage led the league and was 36 points ahead of his next closest competitor. He also led the league with a career-high 117 runs scored, a career-high 47 doubles and a career-high 1.091 OPS thanks to a .653 slugging percentage and .438 on-base percentage.

Fukudome, who bats lefthanded and throws righthanded, was limited to 81 games in 2007 due to a right elbow injury and underwent surgery to remove bone fragments on Aug. 20. Despite the injury, Fukudome batted .294 with 22 doubles, 13 home runs, a .520 slugging percentage and had a .443 on-base percentage that led the Central League at the time his season ended. Fukudome walked (69) more times than he struck out (66) in 2007.

A first round draft pick by Chunichi in 1999, Fukudome made his professional debut that season and batted .284 with 25 doubles, 16 homers, a .359 on-base percentage and a .451 slugging percentage in his rookie season as the club’s starting shortstop. Fukudome was converted to a third baseman and outfielder in 2001 and became the club’s starting right fielder in 2002, when he notched his first batting title with a .343 mark while leading the league with 42 doubles.

The six-foot, 187-pound Fukudome reached double digits in every extra-base hit category in 2003 as part of a campaign that saw him bat .313 with a league-leading .401 on-base percentage. He boasted a 1.004 OPS thanks in part to his 30 doubles, 11 triples and 34 home runs. Fukudome also led the league in triples and runs scored (107).

After an injury-shortened 2004 (92 games), Fukudome returned with a strong 2005, leading the league with a .430 on-base percentage, finishing second with a .328 batting average and recording 103 RBI. His MVP season of 2006 followed.

Fukudome has excelled as a member of Team Japan in international play, most recently winning the gold medal at the World Baseball Classic in 2006. He was also a member of the Japanese Olympic Baseball teams that won silver medals in 1996 and bronze medals in 2004, when he tied for the Olympic lead with three home runs to go along with a .316 batting average.