The conclusion of...
According to ESPN's Jayson Stark, the Braves have traded Mark Teixeira to the Angels for Casey Kotchman and Steven Marek. Keep in mind this is early and the details of these trades when first reported are often times foggy.
Kotchman was pulled off the field during pregame warmups at Fenway Park on Tuesday afternoon, further fueling speculation that a deal was in place.
More to come... I'm sure...
Update - 6:55pm
So this Steven Marek guy is actually a reliever. The Angels converted him to a starter after he was a reliever in Junior College (are you surprise the Braves liked him), he has apparently reverted to relieving again this year.
He was a 2005 draft-and-follow who signed for $800K. He is a fastball, curve, change guy and even though he's a right-hander, he seems to fair better against left-handers because of his change-up. Baseball America rated him as the 6th best prospect in the Angels system to begin 2008 and projects him as a mid-rotation starter. It seems that has changed in the eyes of the Angles who converted him back to a reliever.
John Sickels says that his velocity fell off quite a bit from Junior College to the pros, and he is no longer an overpowering pitcher. It will be interesting to see what the Braves do with him -- wheather they convert him back to a starter or keep him as a reliever. On first blush it looks like we traded for Joey Devine circa 2007.
So... Casey Kotchman is the real prize... hum...