Weaver vs. Bonderman

For a while, it seemed the Tigers were destined to have the last laugh in the Jeff Weaver trade. Now, that seems uncertain.

Detroit got Carlos Pena, who was a bust in Motown but blossomed in Tampa, plus Franklyn German and Jeremy Bonderman. After German failed to fulfill projections of being the Dominican version of Lee Smith (according to Baseball America), it still seemed Bonderman alone was going to be a steal for the Tigs.

Since the trade, Weaver's stats:

54-63, 5.00 ERA in 1,000 IP.

Bonderman's stats:

56-62, 4.78 ERA in 923 IP.

I've feared Bonderman could become the next Kris Benson, living on the reputation of potential over results. This might be unfair to Benson, who was 53-56 with a 4.24 ERA after 924 IP in his career.