[kenberman]

ok, normally I wouldn't post about a relative unknown being picked up for the proverbial PTBNL.

but this one seems strange. 25 years old, AAA pitcher of the Year for the Cubs. .118 BA against in his 6 MLB appearances. and the Red Sox pick him up for basically nothing (unless the PTBNL turns out to be a prized prospect, which I doubt).

what's the deal here? I know that the Cubs needed to make roster space, but is this really the best deal they found? Here is the story:

BOSTON -- In their constant quest to add depth to the bullpen, the Red Sox on Thursday acquired right-hander Jermaine Van Buren from the Cubs for a player to be named later or cash.

The 25-year-old Van Buren made six appearances for the Cubs last season, posting a 3.00 ERA over six innings. Opponents hit just .118 against him in his brief Major League stint.

He was the club's pitcher of the year at Triple-A Iowa, posting a 1.98 ERA and setting a franchise record with 25 saves.

With the Rule 5 Draft coming up next week, the Cubs likely made the move to clear a roster spot, as Van Buren was on their 40-man roster.

After making the deal, the Sox put Van Buren on their 40-man roster.

Van Buren was drafted by the Rockies in the second round in 1998. He signed with the Cubs before the 2004 season, converting to a reliever at that time.

The native of Laurel, Miss., is 42-26 lifetime in the Minors, with 47 saves and a 3.57 ERA. Of his 219 Minor League appearances, 93 were starts.

Van Buren will try to earn a spot in a bullpen that includes Keith Foulke, Mike Timlin, Guillermo Mota and Chad Bradford.