Pittsburgh Pirates At It Again, Trade Freddy Sanchez

You know those deadline deal trades where you go, “that’s going to comeback to bite them in the butt in a couple of years”?

I think that is what every San Francisco Giants fan is going to say in five years when they think about the trade they made yesterday with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Last night the Pirates made their second trade of the day by sending 2B Freddy Sanchez to the San Francisco Giants for RHP prospect Tim Alderson.

Let’s first start with Alderson, since he was the key to this deal. For those of you not familiar with Alderson, he is one of the top prospects not only in the Giants’ system – but in all of baseball.

He is legit.

ESPN.com’s Keith Law had Alderson ranked as the 26th best prospect in all of baseball, ahead of names like Dexter Fowler, Matt LaPorta, and Gordon Beckham. Alderson projects out to be a solid number two or three pitcher in the major leagues.

Now, I understand the Giants were desperate for offense. But if you are going to give up a prospect like Alderson, the player you get in return better be an impact bat. Matt Holliday would have been worth Alderson. Sanchez is a good hitter—no doubt about it—but he is not a difference maker.

What the Giants got was a solid, professional hitter, who is a clear upgrade over what they had at second base. The powder keg that was Emmanuel Burriss, Kevin Frandsen, Juan Uribe and Matt Downs were just not cutting for the Giants.

Combined they were hitting .232 with five HR and 36 RBI for the season. Just flat out Pathetic. Sanchez, by himself, was hitting .296 with six HR’s, 34 RBI, and 105 hits in 86 games with the Pirates.

While the Giants continue to add offense, this was a major score for the Pirates. Two trades today by the Pirates and in my opinion, two wins. Finally, things are looking up for the Pirates.