» According to Dan Knobler via Twitter, the Giants will acquire Orlando Cabrera. Cabrera has hit .248/.280/.330 (72 OPS+) this season while seeing time at second base, third base, and short stop (mostly 2B).
» Per Hank Schulman, the Indians will receive one prospect in exchange.
» Hank Schulman just tweeted that the prospect the Giants are sending over is OF Thomas Neal.
Showing posts with label Transactions. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Transactions. Show all posts
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Giants News and Notes: Bill Hall Designated for Assignment, Emmanuel Burriss Optioned
I figured I'd catch up on the news and notes from today, as Carlos Beltran gets set to make his San Francisco Giants debut...
- In order to clear a spot on the 40-man roster for Beltran, Bill Hall was activated from the 15-day DL and designated for assignment.
- In order to clear a spot on the 25-man roster, the Giants optioned Emmanuel Burriss back to Triple-A Fresno.
- Miguel Tejada says he feels great, and should be ready to return from his injury (ab strain) next week.
- Per Andrew Baggarly: Sabean hopes to use the $4 million in savings to help the club in other areas, but the market for a catcher or shortstop has not gotten any riper. He notes that if they do end up addressing those needs, it's more likely in August via waivers.
- Similarly, Jon Heyman tweets that the Giants "still wouldn't mind" a catcher, and suggest Ramon Hernandez could be a trade target. I looked at the Giants' catcher trade options earlier today.
- Also via Baggs, VP Dick Tidrow assured Brian Sabean "that the farm system has enough power arms to absorb the loss" of Zack Wheeler.
- Based on conversations he's had with people, Henry Schulman listed the reasons why Aubrey Huff is starting at first base over Brandon Belt: Bochy trusts his veterans more down the stretch; he has faith that Huff will start hitting; Huff's making $22MM; Bochy prefers the team chemistry with Huff starting and Belt off the bench; and Belt struggled when he played every day.
- Barry Zito's start on Sunday is now listed as "TBA." According to Schulman, "Bochy confirms Sunday is TBA. Not saying much else. Said Zito is healthy."
- Baggs is speculating that it's possible that Eric Surkamp could make his major-league debut on Sunday, and that a trade could be in the works.
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Pat Burrell Released, Brandon Belt Optioned?
According to CSN Bay Area, the Giants are expected to release Pat Burrell and option Brandon Belt back to Triple-A (again).
Burrell's not a good defensive outfielder, and he strikes out a lot, but even so, he'd managed to post a .233/.342/.419 line over 202 plate appearances. Burrell currently has a wRC+ of 113, meaning he's 13% better than a league average hitter. Doesn't sound like much, but among Giants with at least 50 plate appearances, that puts him at second-best on the team, tied with Buster Posey. The expected release would clear room on the 40-man roster for Carlos Beltran, meaning the Giants would opt to release Burrell rather than designate Bill Hall or Alex Hinshaw for assignment. Which makes absolutely no sense.
In the case of Brandon Belt, the Giants would opt to send him down to Triple-A rather than Emmanuel Burriss or Brandon Crawford, when it's quite clear that Brandon Belt is currently one of the best three hitters on the team. Not only should Belt remain in the majors, but he should be the starting first baseman because it's painfully obvious at this point that he's better than Aubrey Huff. The way the Giants have handled Belt this year is absolutely pathetic. He should be playing in the majors on a daily basis by now, but would instead presumably go down for yet another stint in the minors.
Unbelievable. Two foolish decisions that might actually do enough damage to the team to counteract whatever upgrade Beltran represents.
And you know what? While we're at it, Aaron Rowand should be designated for assignment. With the crowded outfield, he should be expendable (not Burrell). The Giants have the money to cover his contract and deal him to another team (in need of a LHP-mashing outfielder) in exchange for something of value.
UPDATE: Via Henry Schulman, Burrell is not being released.
UPDATE (#2): Via Mychael Urban, Brandon Belt has not been optioned.
Great news, though I must say, CSN just lost a lot of credibility.
Burrell's not a good defensive outfielder, and he strikes out a lot, but even so, he'd managed to post a .233/.342/.419 line over 202 plate appearances. Burrell currently has a wRC+ of 113, meaning he's 13% better than a league average hitter. Doesn't sound like much, but among Giants with at least 50 plate appearances, that puts him at second-best on the team, tied with Buster Posey. The expected release would clear room on the 40-man roster for Carlos Beltran, meaning the Giants would opt to release Burrell rather than designate Bill Hall or Alex Hinshaw for assignment. Which makes absolutely no sense.
In the case of Brandon Belt, the Giants would opt to send him down to Triple-A rather than Emmanuel Burriss or Brandon Crawford, when it's quite clear that Brandon Belt is currently one of the best three hitters on the team. Not only should Belt remain in the majors, but he should be the starting first baseman because it's painfully obvious at this point that he's better than Aubrey Huff. The way the Giants have handled Belt this year is absolutely pathetic. He should be playing in the majors on a daily basis by now, but would instead presumably go down for yet another stint in the minors.
Unbelievable. Two foolish decisions that might actually do enough damage to the team to counteract whatever upgrade Beltran represents.
And you know what? While we're at it, Aaron Rowand should be designated for assignment. With the crowded outfield, he should be expendable (not Burrell). The Giants have the money to cover his contract and deal him to another team (in need of a LHP-mashing outfielder) in exchange for something of value.
UPDATE: Via Henry Schulman, Burrell is not being released.
UPDATE (#2): Via Mychael Urban, Brandon Belt has not been optioned.
Great news, though I must say, CSN just lost a lot of credibility.
Carlos Beltran traded to the Giants for Zack Wheeler and cash
After seemingly endless speculation, Carlos Beltran has been traded to the Giants along with cash for Zach Wheeler (almost officially). Beltran is hitting .289/.391/.513 on the season, and obviously adds a lot to an offense desperately in need of some help. Per Fangraphs, he's been worth 3.9 wins above replacement already this year.
At first, I was strongly against trading Wheeler for Beltran. Then again, here's what Andrew Baggarly just wrote:
Essentially, the Giants are trading a high-ceiling pitching prospect for a rental that will (hopefully) add a lot to a struggling offense. As I've said before, "prospects are no guarantee" is not a justification for overpaying in value. Kurt Ainsworth wasn't a guarantee. Neither was Jesse Foppert. Or Jerome Williams. Or Tim Alderson, Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, Boof Bonser, Madison Bumgarner, etc. Many prospects bust, some don't. Duh.
Wheeler's a risk. The question is: is the risk worth it?
This move was made to improve the Giants' chances of performing well in the playoffs. Beltran clearly adds a lot to the offense, but in making this trade, the Giants are hoping that he happens to hit well over those 50 or so postseason plate appearances, and that that's what puts the Giants over the top in terms of their chances of winning the World Series.
I don't know if Wheeler is worth the amount that Beltran improves the Giants' chances of a repeat -- if that makes any sense. I'm stuck in the middle right now, leaning toward no. But I'm cautiously placing my trust in Brian Sabean. I don't like this deal. I think the Giants overpaid in value. Yet at the same time, I like Beltran. And Sabean's willingness to trade Wheeler indicates that perhaps -- as Baggs speculated -- their internal evaluations indicate that his value has fallen.
So there it is. Don't like the deal, but I'll give Sabean the benefit of the doubt. And I can't wait to see Beltran in a Giants uniform. I'm just hoping he'll stay healthy, and continue to rake.
I will say, this little chart from Baseball Prospectus scares me to death:
At first, I was strongly against trading Wheeler for Beltran. Then again, here's what Andrew Baggarly just wrote:
As for Wheeler, if he’s indeed the big piece, the Giants’ willingness to trade him would indicate one of two things: Their desperation to add offense has risen, or, more likely, their internal evaluations of his stuff/ceiling are not quite what they were when they drafted him 10th overall two years ago. Wheeler’s strikeout rate is high, but he hasn’t exactly Bumgarnered his way through the minor leagues.
Essentially, the Giants are trading a high-ceiling pitching prospect for a rental that will (hopefully) add a lot to a struggling offense. As I've said before, "prospects are no guarantee" is not a justification for overpaying in value. Kurt Ainsworth wasn't a guarantee. Neither was Jesse Foppert. Or Jerome Williams. Or Tim Alderson, Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, Boof Bonser, Madison Bumgarner, etc. Many prospects bust, some don't. Duh.
Wheeler's a risk. The question is: is the risk worth it?
This move was made to improve the Giants' chances of performing well in the playoffs. Beltran clearly adds a lot to the offense, but in making this trade, the Giants are hoping that he happens to hit well over those 50 or so postseason plate appearances, and that that's what puts the Giants over the top in terms of their chances of winning the World Series.
I don't know if Wheeler is worth the amount that Beltran improves the Giants' chances of a repeat -- if that makes any sense. I'm stuck in the middle right now, leaning toward no. But I'm cautiously placing my trust in Brian Sabean. I don't like this deal. I think the Giants overpaid in value. Yet at the same time, I like Beltran. And Sabean's willingness to trade Wheeler indicates that perhaps -- as Baggs speculated -- their internal evaluations indicate that his value has fallen.
So there it is. Don't like the deal, but I'll give Sabean the benefit of the doubt. And I can't wait to see Beltran in a Giants uniform. I'm just hoping he'll stay healthy, and continue to rake.
I will say, this little chart from Baseball Prospectus scares me to death:
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