that we’ve got what were considered the #1 and #3 prospects at that time working for us? surely something good can come of this, right?

About Arbuckle —

“How he was overlooked was stunning,” an AL assistant GM said. “He’s one of the best bargains in baseball with similar qualifications to (Jim) Hendry and (Brian) Sabean.”

When that article was published, Sabean’s last really good move (the Schmidt trade) was already 16 months in the past. And it was just two days after he had signed Michael Tucker right before the arbitration deadline, needlessly forfeiting a draft pick — and at the time Tucker was 32 and coming off the leg injury that shortened his 2003 season. That signing, for a lot of folks, had the same effect that Moore’s acquisition of Betancourt had in Kansas City, letting them know that the GM they thought he was — well, he wasn’t.