Benson to O's a done deal

The Mets have reportedly traded Kris Benson to the Orioles in exchange for Jorge Julio and John Maine. Jon Heyman, of the New York Post, suggests that the deal was made in an attempt to move Heilman into the rotation. I hope this is not so, and the A's like Maine. Maine was listed as the the Orioles 6th best prospect entering the season at Baseball America. Baseball America says that Maine's succeeds, "More with command than pure stuff. He added a slider to give him four legitimate pitches, along with his fastball, curveball and changeup. He throws 90-91 mph with natural deception, and adds and subtracts from his fastball nicely. He's not afraid to work inside." However, they also say the following about his weaknesses: "None of Maine's pitches is overwhelming, which explains why he struggles when he moves up to a new level. He has a long-arm delivery and must work to stay on top of the ball. He also needs to refine his command and throw quality strikes after learning that advanced hitters lay off balls out of the zone." Sounds like every other minor leaguer out there who hasn't pitched against the big leagues. Baseball America says that Maine tops out as a 3 starter but on a good enough club he'd be their fourth or fifth pitcher.