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With all the attention given to the Manny Ramirez, Ken Griffey, Ivan Rodriguez, etc. deals over the past week, there have been some recent transactions you might have missed. Let???s look at those moves and see how the involved General Managers did. Kansas City Royals designate RHP Yasuhiko Yabuta for assignment Oops. General Manager Dayton Moore signed Yabuta this past offseason to a two-year, $6M deal and said this: Louie Medina and Rene Francisco have been scouting Yasuhiko before Trey came aboard. They liked him and thought he could be a good addition to our bullpen. I hope Medina and Francisco have guaranteed contracts, because $6M for 31.3 innings of 5.46 and 1.755 WHIP performance isn???t going to cut it, especially in Kansas City. Grade: B for admitting the mistake and taking action; C- for making the somewhat low-risk, high reward mistake in the first place. Minnesota Twins designate RHP Livan Hernandez for assignment Here???s what ???mark??? wrote as a follow-up to my article on the Twins??? Lack of Interest in winning. I understand making room for Liriano, and I understand releasing Monroe, who is only hitting .202. But releasing Hernandez? He leads the team with wins at 10. You can???t tell me someone wouldn???t have given up a couple of minor leaguers for Hernandez. Everyone criticized the Luis Castillo trade last year. But at least we got something for him??? [Hernandez] is not a bad pitcher. A little inconsistent, but when he is hot he is hot. That???s why he has 10 wins. I do understand the Twins reasoning for Hernandez to be the one going, because he does and always has given up the long ball. And the Twins can???t always manufacture enough runs for him. But put Hernandez on a strong offensive team and he will perform. That is why I believe Minnesota could have got something for him. I???m with you, Mark. Isn???t he better than Victor Zambrano, whom the Yankees just signed (see below)? Couldn???t they have gotten a Single-A middle reliever for him? One big red flag, however, are his home/road splits. Defying logic, Hernandez has a 4.26 ERA at home, compared to 7.22 on the road. But I still think they could have gotten something for him. Perhaps they should have called Astros General Manager Ed Wade (see below). Grade: C- New York Yankees sign RHP Victor Zambrano to a Minor League contract Mets fans wish this guy would disappear. Every mention pours salt on the wound known as Kazmiritis. Zambrano got shelled this year for Colorado Springs ??? the Rockies??? Triple-A team. Absolutely shelled: 0-6 in 40 innings, with a 9.45 ERA and 2.30 WHIP. That last number comes via 62 hits and a whopping 30 walks. But hey, no harm no foul. The move itself grades a B-. The need to acquire a guy like this to eat up minor league innings gives Brian Cashman an F for planning. Washington Nationals release Felipe Lopez, Paul Lo Duca and Johnny Estrada This is some good old housecleaning. Congrats to Nationals GM Jim Bowden on actually making a decent move. Of course, he???s the one who cluttered up his roster with trash, but he gets credit for admitting the mistake and moving on. Lopez has fallen far and hard since his 2005 season, when as a 25-year-old he posted .291/.352/.486, with 23 home runs and 85 RBIs. In 325 at bats this year, Lopez posted a line of .234/.305/.314. When the Nationals ??? the team with the Major???s worst record and the bleakest short-run future ??? release you, it should be extra troubling. Some team will pick him up for the stretch run and will undoubtedly be disappointed. Grade: B+ Houston Astros acquire RHP LaTroy Hawkins from the New York Yankees for INF Matt Cusick Ed Wade, you are a baffling person. You are out of the playoffs, yet you acquired a 35-year-old reliever with a 5.62 ERA this year and a 4.74 career ERA. He???s on a one-year deal and won???t get you any compensation should you for some reason offer him arbitration at years-end. And you gave up a prospect for him? Why? Cusick is a 22-year old second baseman/third baseman who has a career line of .292/.382/.454 in 575 at bats in two Single-A seasons. When word of this deal leaked out, the Red Sox probably cursed themselves for not ???thinking??? of offering you Mike Timlin for a prospect. Transaction Grade: D