Clearly Brian Sabean had something else up his sleeve when he traded for Pittsburgh Second Basemen Freddy Sanchez Wednesday. Following San Francisco's extra-inning 1-0 win and a series sweep of the Pirates, the Giants then proceeded to swipe Sanchez, who has was one of the last remaining faces of a rudderless franchise. The 31-year-old Sanchez, the National League's Batting Champion in 2006, is currently hitting .296 with six home runs, 34 RBI's, 45 runs scored, and 28 doubles this season. Unfortunately, Giant fans may not see the immediate return of the deal as Sanchez is nursing a mild knee sprain, and has not played for several days. However, before the trade was completed, Giant team doctors checked out the knee twice and gave the "all clear."
Sanchez follows a long line of talented Pirates who have been traded in the last couple of years including: Jason Bay, Nate McClouth, Adam LaRoche, and Jack Wilson. If I were a Pirates' fan, I would not be very happy this morning after seeing my double play combination shipped out of town the same day (Wilson was moved to Seattle in a separate deal).
What does this trade mean for guys like Kevin Fransden and Manny Burriss? Is Sanchez a long-term solution, or just a quick fix down the stretch?
The Philadelphia Phillies come to town for a four-game weekend series beginning Thursday night. The defending World Series Champions feature one of the most powerful line ups in baseball, and were also busy dealing Wednesday, acquiring last year's A.L. Cy Young Winner Cliff Lee from Cleveland. So the Giants will likely have to contend with both Lee and Cole Hammels over the weekend.
It's also apparent that Jonathan Sanchez will remain in the Giants rotation and not get traded before Friday's deadline. This assumption follows Tuesday's unfortunate news that 45-year-old Randy Johnson has a slight tear in his rotator cuff, and has been moved to the 60-day DL. This may not only be a season-ending injury, but also a career-ending injury.
Keywords: Adam LaRoche, Brian Sabean, Cliff Lee., Freddy Sanchez, Jack Wilson, Jason Bay, Kevin Frandsen, Manny Burriss, Nate McClouth, Philadelphia Phillies, Pittsburgh Pirates, San Francisco Giants
