Two of my favorite transaction commentators come down firmly on the side of "What? Jim Bowden fleeced somebody else?" First, Marc Normandin at Beyond the Boxscore thinks Daryl Thompson better turn out to be a stellar pitcher, or else the Reds will be regretting this, very soon.
Dan Szymborski, never one to mince words over lopsided deals, sums it up best:
If I were a Reds fans, I'd be choking back the vomit right about now. The Reds, a team in contention, have just given up two of their most important position players to pick up 2 good relievers, a horrible SS, a waiver-wire 3B, and a decent pitching prospect with some injury problems.