Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that the Pittsburgh Pirates have demoted pitching prospect Tim Alderson from Class AA Altoona to Class A Bradenton. In AA Altoona, Alderson was 7-5 with a 5.62 ERA.The San Francisco Giants sent Alderson to the Pirates for Freddy Sanchez. At the time of the trade a lot of fans were skeptic. Alderson was one of the top prospects in the Giants organization behind Buster Posey and Madison Bumgarner. I thought it was a great move by Giants GM Brian Sabean. He got an All Star second baseman who’s proven for a prospect that has potential. Alderson is still only 21 years old, so he has plenty of time to show in the long run the trade may have been worth it for both clubs.
The first half of the season is over. I know it’s a little more than half the season since they have played 88 games. With 74 games left in the season the San Francisco Giants need to figure out exactly what they need to get them over the hump. A lot of rumors have surfaced lately with the trading deadline looming.
Giants GM Brian Sabean and his staff need to decide what they are willing to part with to make a trade rumor become reality. The Giants have been linked to players such as Milwaukee BrewersCorey Hart, Prince Fielder, Ryan Braun, Washington Nationals Josh Willingham, Kansas City Royals David DeJesus and Jose Guillen.
Here are the players stats heading into the All-Star Break.
When I asked the San Francisco Giants beat writer Chris Haft (via email) if the thinks the Giants are getting serious about trying to trade for Corey Hart, Prince Fielder or Ryan Braun. He told me it will take a lot to get one of those guys. The Brewers would want Matt Cain and somebody else decent, though the Giants might be able to sell them on Jonathan Sanchez.
Anthony Witrado of the Journal Sentinel said rumors have been flying regarding Hart for the last couple of weeks, and with the pitching-heavy but offense-starved Giants in town, the mill really got going with Hart-to-Giants talk.
I asked Witrado (via email) if he thinks the Giants will be able to land Hart, Fielder or Braun, and if so what does he think it would take to land one of them?
Witrado said Fielder and Braun are out of the question, most likely. Fielder would mean the Giants giving up Cain for sure. Hart is possibly, probably for Madison Bumgarner, but I don’t think that’ll happen over the next week. It will likely come after the break if it happens.
The San Francisco Giants and Milwaukee Brewers rumors always seem to be swirling in the Bay Area wind. Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle says Giants GM Brian Sabean and Lee Elder (Giants scout), were watching the game from the press box. Schulman believes they were scouting potential trade targets Corey Hart, Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun.
Hart: AVG .288, HR 19, and 61 RBI’s
Fielder: AVG .264, HR 18 and 36 RBI’s
Braun: AVG .291, HR 11, and 51 RBI’s
Anyone of these guys will be a great addition to the Giants lineup. The question is what are the Giants willing to give up to land one of these bats. Travis Ishikawa has been getting a few starts recently, and I believe it’s to showcase him. He can be part of a package deal to land one of these guys from the Brew Crew.
The Giants may also be willing to part with a couple players in Triple-A Fresno. Players like John Bowker and Eugenio Velezwho seem to tear it up in Fresno, but can’t secure a spot on the Giants roster. Yes, it will take more than these players to land a big bat, but they may end up part of a package deal.
Bowker: AVG .321, HR 9 and 25 RBI’s
Velez: AVG .303, HR 3, 14 RBI’s and 22 SB
If you have any doubts that the Giants will not make a move… DON’T! Sabean will make a move, because he knows another extension depends on it. He’s not going to be okay with throwing up the white flag and calling it a year. If they don’t go out and get a bat to make a run at the playoffs, he’s going to be going, going, gone! The Sabean era will probably be ending in San Francisco with no trades to get the Giants train rolling.
When it rains it pours, and it’s definitely pouring in Giantsland. The San Francisco Giants have lost six straight games, and are looking for a heartbeat to show they are still alive in this NL West.
Tom Verducci of SI.com lists his “All-Overlooked All-Star Team”. The only Giants player to make this list is Shortstop Juan Uribe. Verducci says no other shortstop has more than Uribe’s 12 homers and 45 RBI’s.
Damon Bruce of KNBR 1050 told me (via email) it’s going to be hard to deal for a significant player without moving a pitcher (Matt Cain, Jonathan Sanchez, Madison Bumgarner or Brian Wilson). Bruce doesn’t believe the Giants would ever move one of them. He also says it’s hard to think of a big name coming in to save the season.
Giants beat writer Chris Haft also mention to me that the outfield definitely is an area where they could obtain somebody.
It was a bitter-sweet moment for most Giants fans as the news dropped that the San Francisco Giants traded Big Money Bengie Molinato the Texas Rangers for RHP Chris Ray and a player to be named later.
Molina really was a clutch performer for the most part of his Giants tenure and a great backstop as well. He’s a career .275 hitter with 142 homers and 692 RBI’s. Molina just wasn’t putting up the numbers this year for the Giants at the plate. The leash for Molina wasn’t long with the future backstop already on the team (Buster Posey).
One of the SF Giants Rumors swirling prior to this trade was the Giants needed to solidify the bullpen and get a relief pitcher. Well that’s exactly what they did in this trade. Ray is currently 2-0 with a 3.41 ERA, 31.2 IP and 16 K’s. He’s going to be a guy that helps get the ball to closer Brian Wilson.
This isn’t a sexy trade, but it’s one that had to be done. The Giants couldn’t continue to trot Molina out behind the plate, when it’s clear that he’s not the best catcher on the team anymore. I wish you well Big Money because you were a great Giant!
