Back on March 24th, 2002 former Brewers General Manager Dean Taylor traded Jesus Pena to the Texas Rangers and received in return reliever Luis Vizcaino. This seemingly innocuous move began a chain of events that had great impact on the fortunes of the Milwaukee Brewers over the coming years.

Vizcaino provided the Brewers with three years of service, one good (2002), one so-so (2004) and one bad (2003) before being flipped himself. His trade companion was none other than Scott Podsednik, who was claimed off of waivers in 2002 from the Seattle Mariners in one of Doug Melvin's first moves. Podsednik had a rookie of the year caliber season for the Brewers in 2003 before falling back to earth in 2004.

Podsednik and Vizcaino netted the Brewers a year and a half of Carlos Lee. All he did was make two all-star games and anchor the lineup during the transition to the homegrown core of Fielder, Braun, Hart, Hardy, Hall and Weeks. When it became apparent that he no longer fit in the long term plans of the franchise, he was sent, along with Nelson Cruz, to the Texas Rangers for Fransisco Cordero, Kevin Mench, Laynce Nix and Julian Cordero.

Though Mench was a disappointment in his time in Milwaukee and Nix wasn't good to begin with, Cordero provided a year and a half of very good bullpen work. Then he walked for tons of cash, leaving the Milwaukee Brewers holding two top 60 draft picks.

So in the final analysis, the Brewers were able to turn Jesus Pena, Nelson Cruz and a waiver wire claim into:

- one good and one ok year of Luis Vizcaino
- one stellar year and one mediocre year of Scott Podsednik
- a year and a half of all star caliber play from Carlos Lee
- a year and a half of all star caliber pitching from Fransisco Cordero
- two top 60 draft picks

Has so much ever been gained from so little?