By Jim Callis
March 24, 2003

The two worst teams in baseball last year made a trade on Monday, exchanging reserves who didn't have a clear-cut spot on their big league rosters. Tampa Bay picked up catcher Javier Valentin, while Milwaukee added outfielder Jason Conti.

The Brewers had acquired Valentin and righthander Matt Kinney last Nov. 15 from the Twins for pitching prospects Matt Yeatman and Gerry Oakes. Valentin, 27, was a third-round pick out of Puerto Rico in 1993. He spent all of 1998 and 1999 with the Twins, but has played just four games in the majors since (all in September 2002) and couldn't beat out Keith Osik and Eddie Perez for a backup spot with Milwaukee. Valentin, the younger brother of White Sox shortstop Jose Valentin, hit .286-21-80 in 127 games at Triple-A Edmonton last year. He also threw out 29 percent of basestealers, though he hasn't been able to catch as frequently or as effectively as he had before having knee surgery in 2000. In 141 major league games, he has batted .230-8-46.

Conti, 28, was part of the Diamondbacks' first draft in 1996, chosen in the 32nd round out of the University of Pittsburgh. A three-time minor league all-star, he's an effective line-drive hitter but lacks the power or speed to grab everyday playing time at the major league level. He's a career .315 hitter in the minors and has hit .249-4-36 in 130 big league games. Acquired by Tampa Bay in the July 2001 Albie Lopez trade, he hit .257-3-21 in 78 games with the Rays in 2002.