The Reason Why Owings Wasn't Difficult to Trade

Isn't he pretty?

When the Dunn trade was completed, most people wondered who would be the other two players involved, but I knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that Micah Owings was headed to Cincinnati. Did I have inside information? Yeah right. However, I knew about Yusmeiro Petit. After pitching decently for a few starts last season with a 4.94 ERA, Petit was considered okay but not the future of the rotation. Yet, he was only 22, and now at age 23, he's turning the corner ... possibly. In 6 starts, he is 3-2 with a 2.65 ERA with a K/BB ratio of almost 5. His 4.80 ERA in Tuscon wasn't exciting, but he had 67 K in 64 IP with only 8 BB. That tells me the kid has good stuff and command, but he's probably been unlucky. In the majors, his BABIP is .165, which is extraordinarily lucky, but even if he regresses (which he will), his ERA won't be worse than Owings' 5.93. He also walks a lot more with his K/BB ratio closer to 2. Did they make the trade knowing they could use the publicity surrounding Owings' bat to get a bigger bat in Dunn while also knowing Petit would be solid?