Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Giants Acquire Sanchez From Pirates

No sooner than the Pittsburgh Pirates had dealt longtime shortstop Jack Wilson to the Seattle Mariners they turned around and traded second baseman Freddy Sanchez to the San Francisco Giants for minor league pitcher Tim Alderson.

Conveniently, the Pirates happened to be playing in San Francisco where they finished a three game series this afternoon en route to being swept. Sanchez joins a team that has a ½ game lead in the NL Wild Card standings over the Colorado Rockies.

Sanchez began his big league career with the Boston Red Sox in 2002 but would be dealt to the Pirates in mid-season of 2003. He became an everyday player for the Bucs in 2005. His best season with the Pirates was in 2006 when he won the NL batting title with a .344 average. He has been named to the NL All-Star Team three of the past four seasons.

In the past 24 hours, the Giants have significantly improved the right side of their infield. Yesterday, the Giants acquired first baseman Ryan Garko from the Cleveland Indians. The Giants have great pitching but weak offense and the presence of Garko and Sanchez should improve it.

As for the Pirates, they have now traded five players who were in their starting lineup on Opening Day. Catcher Ryan Doumit, third baseman Andy LaRoche and right fielder Brandon Moss are the only position players in the lineup still wearing a Bucs uniform. Or will they too walk the plank?

1 comment:

Anderson said...

As a Marlins fan, this trade worries me more than the Cliff Lee trade. I had the feeling the Marlins would have a harder time catching the Phils, since they seem to have their number this year. But adding a bat like Sanchez is the kind of move that probably pushes San Francisco over the top. I like them more than LA (Lincecum and Cain are too good). I think the NL half of your World Series matchup prediction is looking very good right now.