Freddy Sanchez Dealt to Giants

Another positive day for the Pirates and GM Neil Huntington. Although the team dropped a tough 1-0 loss in San Francisco, the team boarded the plane without one person. That person was second baseman Freddy Sanchez, who got left behind in San Francisco, as he was dealt to the Giants for pitcher Tim Alderson. The Sanchez deal came about six hours after Sanchez's double play partner Jack Wilson was sent to Seattle in a separate deal.

Huntington did well in the Wilson deal and I think he did just as well with the Sanchez deal. Alderson, a 20 year old right hander was listed as the fourth best prospect in the Giants organization. He is a 6"6 right hander who is considered a premium prospect. How long has it been since we have acquired guys with the upside as we have gotten in the last calender year.

This excerpt from Ben-Nicholson Smith at mlbtraderumors.com

5:51pm: Kovacevic is reporting that the minor leaguer is AA pitcher Tim Alderson. This is an impressive haul for Sanchez--Alderson was ranked the #4 prospect in the Giants' system by Baseball America. What we thought was a salary dump has turned into a pretty solid coup for the Pirates.

Sounds to me like we did well.

Alderson was currently at AA Connecticut, posting a 6-1 record (why is the Giants AA team all the way in Connecticut?). Overall, he is 7-2 with a 3.45era in 98.2 ip. He has struck out 68, compared to only 14 walks. The early report on Alderson is he is a strike throwing machine with serious stuff. Early report I hear is that Alderson has a fastball in the low to mid 90's. he has plus breaking stuff which is his out pitches and a developing change up, which scouts say has come along nicely.

Alderson was named 2008 MLB Class A Pitcher of the Year. After being selected by the Giants in the first round of the 2007 draft, Alderson has worked his way through the Giants system. After last season, Baseball America rated him the 33rd best overall prospect in baseball. Keith Law currently ranks Alderson the 26th best prospect in all of baseball. I do that deal for Sanchez easily.

At first, I would have wished we got more, but I am happy getting a guy like this. In the last year, we haven't been dealing just to deal. Huntington keeps acquiring high ceiling talent and while he will be a hated man around Pittsburgh, he is doing a great job rebuilding this organization. It needed a total rebuilding after the last two regimes and Huntington is doing it the right way.

He was able to get a guy like Alderson for Sanchez straight up, without including any cash. Huge win for Huntington. Use that cash to sign Miguel Angel Sano or include it in a deal for Grabow or Capps to keep stockpiling talent. It could be a couple busy days for Huntington, but if you are keeping score at home, he went 2-0 today and he is 4-o on the season.

OTHER NOTES
One more thing to see what others are saying. this from Kovacevic.

6:19pm: Kovacevic says that no money is being exchanged in the Sanchez deal, which makes it all the more impressive for the Pirates. Keith Law (Insider) recently ranked the 20-year-old Alderson the 26th-best prospect in all of baseball.

One other thing is that right before the deal, Sanchez came to the Bucs with a 3 year/$20mil offer to stay. He has to be nuts. Naturally the Pirates declined and made what looks to be a good deal.

One final way to look at this is that the best pitching prospect dealt during the day doesn't get get dealt for Cliff Lee, he gets dealt for Freddy Sanchez? What are you doing Cleveland? Also I hear Brian Sabean is feeling some backlash for dealing Alderson for just Sanchez and no cash.

Here is a link with some good quotes from new Pirate Tim Alderson
http://www.baseballprospectus.com/unfiltered/?p=1355