by David Watson

On Wednesday Freddy Sanchez was transferred by the Pittsburgh Pirates to the San Francisco Giants in exchange for pitching prospect Tim Anderson. The Giants were very pleased with the deal, hoping that Sanchez would reinforce the team’s offense. The trade was announced after the Giants defeated Pittsburgh 1-0 in a ten inning game. At the end of the game, Sanchez said goodbye to his teammates, giving out hugs and handshakes before he joined his new team. He then went into the Giants clubhouse to don a new No. 28 jersey and a black Giants cap before his official introduction to the press and the team. Sanchez, who seems very excited with the trade, said that the experience was “a little crazy” but he feels that he is joining the Giants for a reason. In addition to Sanchez, the Giants also acquired first baseman Ryan Garko on Monday, trying to get in the trades before the Friday deadline. The improvements should upgrade the right infield, making the team stronger and more solid. The additions should also help with the Giants’ upcoming competition against the Colorado Rockies for the National League wild card; the teams are tied at 54-46 for first place. “Simply put, our long-awaited next move has finally been consummated,” Giants general manager Brian Sabean said. “A kid that has distinguished himself as an All-Star three out of the last four years and a batting champ within that time frame. The timing’s great,” he said about Sanchez. Sabean was the one who decided to continue with the deal despite the fact that Sanchez is currently sidelined with an injured knee and it is not clear when he will be able to play again. However, the team doctor checked the new player for the second time in a week and said that he was improving. Sanchez said that it was hard for him to come to a team and not be able to play right away; he said he would do everything he could to play as soon as possible. This season, Sanchez hit .296 with six home runs and 34 RBIs, although he was sidelined in this week’s Pirates-Giants series because of his swollen knee. He was an All-Star in 2006, 2007, and 2008. He has been dealing with trade rumors since the All-Star break; now that the deal has been concluded, he says he feels a great deal of relief. The Pirates, who have already traded away other high-salaried players this year, were unwilling to pay Sanchez’s million option. The Pirates initially offered the player a two year deal for million, but Sanchez and his agents rejected it. His agents made another offer for .5 million next year, .5 million in 2011, and million in 2012, but the Pirates rejected that offer as well.

Tags: Freddy, Giants, Pirates, Sanchez, transferred

This entry was posted on January 26, 2011 at 3:58 am and is filed under Pittsburgh Pirates. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.