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Sanchez, in my opinion, is compared to a rich-man's version of Brendan Harris. Although that comparison probably doesn't make sense on the surface, they are fairly similar players.
Both provide adequate power while mainly making contributions with solid gap-power. Sanchez is better at making contact, but that's why I called him a "rich-man's version."
Another comparison that I find to be a bit more consistent is their versatility.
While Sanchez's primary position is second base, he has also logged considerable playing time at third base with some at shortstop. Harris' primary position is shortstop with considerable playing time at both third and second base as well.
Sanchez's defense probably will never win him a Gold Glove, but in comparison to what the Twins have had at second base this season (i.e. Alexi Casilla & Matt Tolbert, mostly), his defense will be a huge upgrade.
The other players mentioned in the rumor are left-handed reliever John Grabow and current Pirates closer Matt Capps.
On the season, Grabow is 3-0 with a 3.75 ERA in 35 appearances. With Sean Henn back in Rochester and Brian Duensing getting another chance at grasping a left-handed relief spot in the bullpen, the need for a stable second southpaw is evident.
Capps has struggled for much of the year but has a career 3.27 ERA and at 25-years-old, he's under team control until 2012, which makes him less likely to be moved. Grabow, on the other hand, is a free agent after the season but will likely qualify as a Type-B free agent, if not a Type-A. That and Twins' need for a second left-hander makes the thought adding Grabow more enticing.
There's no question that the bullpen and second base are still two areas of concern for the Twins, although the bullpen has vastly improved.
The fact that the Twins are linked to the best second baseman and two good relievers may just be because it "seems right." While I think adding Sanchez, Grabow and/or Capps would be great, the price may be too much for the Twins to handle.
The Twins would probably be looking to trade Delmon Young, although the Pirates do have one position of strong depth in their system, and that is outfield. I don't think Young would be the best fit, but I'm sure if presented him, the Pirates probably would still take him. Alexi Casilla would probably be a part of the trade, as his services in Minnesota would no longer be needed with Sanchez aboard.
I'm sure the Pirates would be mostly looking to add pitching.
Anthony Swarzak's name would probably be the first player the Pirates target, but I don't know if the Twins will trade him. Jesse Crain would make sense on the Twins behalf, but I don't know why the Pirates would want him.
Another player I could see the Pirates asking for is Anthony Slama.
Slama has been held back for some strange reason, and if the Twins aren't set on promoting a 25-year-old reliever to Triple-A yet, they probably would be open to trading him, despite his still-promising future.
The Twins aren't used to indulging themselves in the bidding wars of the trade deadline, at least not at this level, so the thought of trading such promising, young players as Swarzak, Slama and Casilla may not sit well with many, but it's probably what the Pirates would demand.
Thankfully, we're still nearly an entire month away from the actual day of the deadline, so the Twins probably won't have as much competition for any of these players compared to if they waited even two weeks from now.
This, like every rumor, especially those that pop up in July, needs to be taken with a grain of salt.
While I believe that this could be a great move for the Twins, I'd still be surprised to see anything actually happen with this. For that reason, we just have to play the percentages in that probably 1 percent of all rumors never pan out. Not to say the teams aren't talking, but the art of working out a trade has so many loops and turns that it is very difficult to actually make both sides agree to everything.
For that reason, the Twins' reluctance to generally trade any of their prospects and the high price of relievers (especially) and one of the best commodities involved in the trade, I'd be surprised to see this worked out.
I'll hope, but all that generally leaves is me upset and disappointed.
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