It's looking to me like this was by design - they signed a bunch of guys to heavily backloaded contracts, raked in profits from their taxpayer-funded stadium, then traded them away before the salaries ballooned in the later years. They may have wanted to get another year or two out of Reyes and Buerhle but decided to sell now after seeing how poorly the team drew once they were out of contention.
Maybe all the prospects they got will amount to something, but I can't see them signing any decent free agents for several years at least. Not when they know they can be shipped to Cleveland or Milwaukee at a moment's notice.
