"All of this, all of this can be yours"

This from today's Denver Post, with gratitude to the ever vigilant Hardball Times for the tip-off:

"The Red Sox want to unload [Byung-Hyun] Kim and are willing to eat about 80 percent of his $6 million salary. They are seeking multiple mid-level prospects, thus far preventing a match with the Rockies."

Byung-Hyun Kim's place in Red Sox lore, such as it is, results from his involvement in one of the best "addition by subtraction" trades of recent years, though it was not thought to be so at the time. Kim was supposed to be the point of the deal, brought in to shore up a bullpen that was crazy like a Chad Fox. Which he did, until the Red Sox really needed him, at which point he started giving up runs like he was channeling John Wasdin . The real enduring positive of the trade turned out to be the deportation of Shea Hillenbrand, whose absence cleared the way for David Ortiz to be unleashed upon an unsuspecting American League.

Had his Red Sox story ended in 2003, Kim might yet be remembered a little fondly. Instead, he shrewdly flipped off his home fans during pre-game playoff introductions, and the specter of the bullpen he failed to steady spooked Grady Little into Pedrogate. This was further compounded by Theo Epstein giving him what has proven in hindsight to be a terrible contract. To top it all off, Kim's recalcitrance about altering his workout routine in spite of a troubled arm cost him his spot in the rotation this April. Kim is still relatively young, and he might yet have a reasonable facsimile of a major league career in front of him. It is nevertheless apparent that no part of this hypothetical career will develop in Boston. (Nor is it likely to develop in Coors Field, I suppose, but as a Red Sox fan that's not my problem.)

Once again, Kim's greatest contribution to his present club would be to take his place in an "addition by subtraction" trade. Consequently, if I'm Theo Epstein, I'm not sure I'd hold out for "mid-level prospects," plural. I'd settle for a mid-level prospect, singular. I'd settle for an Official Red Ryder Carbine-Action Two-Hundred-Shot Range Model Air Rifle. Heck, I'd even settle for an autographed photo of Aaron Miles, provided it wasn't accompanied by Aaron Miles himself. I'd just want Kim off my roster. If the Rockies want him, I say pay for the shipping, if that's what it takes.