The Tampa Bay Rays - they dropped the "Devil" part, perhaps hoping to curry favor with the Almighty - have swung a trade with the Minnesota Twins, acquiring promising young pitcher Matt Garza, shortstop Jason Bartlett and a minor leaguer in exchange for bat-tossing outfielder Delmon Young, shortstop Brendan Harris and their own minor league prospect.

Garza joins a Rays rotation that began to show some promise last year, despite the pitching staff having an A.L.-worst 5.53 ERA overall. Starters Scott Kazmir and James Shields both won in double-digits while sporting sub-4.00 ERAs, while Garza, in 15 starts with Minnesota, went 5-7 with an ERA of 3.69. That could prove a formidable 1-3 in the rotation, assuming those guys continue improving.

To get Garza, the Rays had to give up Delmon Young, who became notorious in 2006 for striking an umpire with a thrown bat during a minor league game. Young's 2007 season with the big squad was good enough to smooth over fears that he might not be the brightest bulb in the strand however: he hit .288 with 13 dings and 93 RBI. Young himself gave assurances that he's no longer the hot-headed nitwit he used to be:

I've grown up a lot over the last couple of years. I'm getting older and wiser. It's going to happen with some players when you are 18 years old, thrown into the world with a little money in your pocket.

Sounds like Delmon's agent has been coaching him well. Assuming he does stay out of trouble, he should help the Twins recover from the loss of Torii Hunter. There's potential in Minnesota now for a really fearsome middle of the order, with Young added to Justin Morneau, Joe Mauer (who needs to develop a power stroke) and Michael Cuddyer.

Unfortunately, at the rate the Twins are going, those guys will have to produce at Ruthian levels, because the team will have no pitchers left. They've given away Garza, and are about to bid farewell to Johan Santana, Carlos Silva and closer Joe Nathan. Of course, the plan is to receive pitching in exchange for Santana, but still, that rotation is going to be mighty thin entering next season. The hope, I imagine, is that Francisco Liriano, the injured phenom from two seasons ago, will be able to come back from Tommy John surgery. Cubs fans burned by years of frustrated Wood/Prior dreams might advise Twins backers not to get their hopes up.