I don't consider the fact that Mallex was blocked to be of much weight. It's a reason to entertain trading him. It's not a reason to take less value in the return. If we'd traded Mallex and gotten a clear win of a return I'd be the first one trumpeting this trade. But my problem is that I'm not sure we got enough back.
Gohara is clearly the linchpin of this deal. What he ends up being will be a huge factor in how good or bad this trade was. My problem is that I can't get a good hold on him. You have scouts proclaiming the Mariners idiots for trading him but then you have other guys who see him as a likely AA flameout. If Gohara finishes the season with an ERA of 6.50 and gets taken in the minor league portion of the Rule 5 draft then this trade will look terrible. And that's a real possibility.
I hope the Braves did their homework on Gohara and aren't just reacting to a few good innings in the AFL. I'm not saying he has to become an ace for the deal to make sense. But I think he needs to establish himself as a legitimate, high level pitching prospect this year. If he immediately crashes and burns then this deal will just look baffling.