Frandsen to Red Sox

The Giants sent back-up middle infielder Kevin Frandsen to the Red Sox for cash considerations or a player to be named later, and Rob Neyer has something to say about it. Unfortunately, I agree with Neyer — it’s not a move that makes a whole lot of sense for the Giants, who need another back-up middle infielder in the wake of another Emmanuel Burriss injury.

I think this is a case of the Giants giving up on Frandsen and seeing his weaknesses rather than his strengths.  Frandsen looked like a contender for the Giants starting job at second a couple of years ago, but he blew out his Achilles tendon, missed almost a full season, and was too old when he came back to be an every day player.

Frandsen went 0-for-16 last year when he was trying to establish himself as a major league back-up, and he made some ill-considered comments when the Giants rightfully thought his ankle injury made it extremely unlikely he’d ever be a major league regular. In short, both Frandsen and the Giants were ready for a change, but the Giants got almost nothing in return in the process.

As Neyer notes, Frandsen hits well for a back-up infielder, at least based on his minor league performance, but his defense is sub-standard.  Frandsen will be better served playing in Fenway, a much better place to hit that AT& T Park.

The contract extensions of Brian Wilson and Jeremy Affeldt and the trading away of Frandsen for a box of peanuts bothers me mostly because the Giants seemed determined to make decisions based on the moment rather than the long term.  The Wilson and Affeldt extensions come at a time when both pitchers could and did command the biggest possible contracts, and the Frandsen trade seems based on the disappointments of the past rather than on what Frandsen might have provided the team in the future.

In the case of all three deals, the Giants would probably have been better served by keeping still for a couple of months before pulling the trigger.