Pirates Part with Longtime Infield Pair
Sporting News staff reports - SportingNews.com
Jul 29, 2009
The Pittsburgh Pirates turned a double play of sorts on Wednesday: They parted with their longtime middle infield combo, shortstop Jack Wilson and second baseman Freddy Sanchez, in separate trades.
Wilson went first, to the Seattle Mariners, along with right-hander Ian Snell for five players -- shortstop Ronny Cedeno, first baseman/catcher Jeff Clement and three minor league pitchers. Then the Bucs dealt Sanchez to the San Francisco Giants, team they've been playing the past three days, for Double-A right-hander Tim Alderson, the Giants' top pick in the 2007 draft.
The Sanchez deal was long in the making, with agreement finally taking place after Wednesday's series finale. Giants medical staff examined Sanchez's sore knee and deemed him fit enough to acquire.
Sanchez was the 2006 NL batting champion and should boost Giants' bid for the NL wild-card slot. He is hitting .296 with six home runs and 34 RBIs, and did not play in this week's series at San Francisco because of a tender knee.
Wilson had been a mainstay with the Pirates since 2001, hitting .269 with 60 homers and 389 RBIs in that span. Snell, recently demoted to the minor leagues after going 2-8 with a 5.36 ERA in 15 starts, had been vocal about his desire to be dealt.
The last-place Pirates also have traded first baseman Adam LaRoche, outfielders Nate McLouth and Nyjer Morgan and reliever Sean Burnett in recent weeks. Closer Matt Capps also has been mentioned in trade rumors.
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