Kasten has repeatedly said that 1 or 2 out of 10 pitching prospects might actually end up being of MLB caliber. That comes from many years of experience. If that's the case, a fair trade might consist of 5 or 10 prospects in exchange for 1 proven MLB player. That way, you have probably traded one MLB player to get another one, along with a lot of junk.
Jonny Gomes has replaced Elijah Dukes at Tampa Bay, and Gomes is outperforming him in most hitting categories, based on equivalent ABs. Gomes' BA is 56 points higher and is on pace to hit the same number of homers if he had the same number of ABs as Dukes. There are all sorts of prospects who lots of people think are future stars, but then it just doesn't happen.
Lastings Milledge hasn't demonstrated in either AAA or MLB that he'd be substantially better than Brandon Watson. I don't think many people in this Forum would trade Rauch or Cordero to get a Watson.
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Its really hard to say that he is another brandon watson. If you go back to when watson was 20 and 21, milledge's OPS is almost 100 points higher than watson's, at the same level of minor leagues. Watson didnt sniff the majors until he was 23, Milledge was 21 when he came up and he has done pretty well through 60 ABs in the majors this year (i think he is hurt now)
Gomes is also 26 to dukes' 22
