Joe Borchard is not good at baseball; he's not terrible at it either. Sometime last summer, he decided to stop swinging for the fences with every hack, and almost has become a useful player.
To put it another way, if Brian Anderson was having the spring that Borchard was having, he easily would be the favorite for AL Rookie of the Year honors. I'm not saying that's right. It just shows how a few weeks of good performances at the plate in Arizona can cloud your view.
About Matt Thornton
Matt Thornton is not good at pitching. He's not terrible at throwing, though. He can throw the ball really hard, but has no clue where it's going.
To put it another way, he's Rusty Tucker only 5 years older.
Like Borchard, Thornton is out of options. That means that he's got 2 weeks to fool Ozzie and Coop into keeping him on the roster. Considering the "Throw Strikes" mantra Ozzie has preaching this spring, it doesn't seem at all likely.
I'm really confused as to why they felt the need to make this trade today. Why pick up a guy who resembles the scrap heap of lefties you've already sent down this spring? Why not try to pick up a guy who can actually find the strikezone, regardless of handedness? Why settle?
The Marlins are supposed to be looking for a cheap outfielder. I realize that they would be reluctant to give up anything of value, but why not throw in a minor league arm with Borchard to sweeten the pot?
The worst part of this trade is that I fully expect Thornton to make the roster. Not because he earned the spot, but just because he's here and we traded for him. Even the best prognosis for Hermanson has him starting the season on the DL, so the Sox are going to let Thornton use the two weeks in Tucson and whatever time Hermy need on the DL as an extended tryout.