Time for Speculation

With the trade deadline almost upon us, I'll give a brief overview of the Giant's deadline deals in previous seasons, and highlight some of Brian Sabean's more productive July moves.


2004: Giants trade RHP Felix Rodriguez to the Phillies for OF Ricky Ledee and Minor Leaguer Alfredo Simon

Analysis: Not one of Sabean's better deadline deals. There were a number of deals that he tried to swing that fell through, preventing him from doing much more than acquiring Ledee, who was not at all productive as a Giant. Ledee now plays for the Dodgers, and Simon is still in the Giant's farm system.


2003: Giants trade LHP Damian Moss, RHP Kurt Ainsworth, and Minor Leaguer Kurt Hannaman to the Orioles for RHP Sidney Ponson

Analysis: I remember, I was watching Baseball Tonight on ESPN when this deal went through, and to this day, I still think it was a good deal, even with Ponson going 3-6 for the Giants. At the time of the trade, his record was 14-7. The Giants unloaded an oft injured prospect in Ainsworth, and an inconsistent starter in Moss. Moss was busted for steroid use, and no one's heard from Ainsworth since his last arm surgery. Ponson signed a 3 year deal with the Orioles after the 2003 season, but he was meant to be strictly a rental anyways.


2002: Giants trade Minor Leaguers Felix Diaz and Ryan Meaux to the White Sox for OF Kenny Lofton

Analysis: Lofton proved to be one of the key pieces to getting the Giants to the World Series, with the game winning hit in game 6 of the NLCS. He too was a rental player, but he served his purpose in San Francisco. In his first at-bat as a Giant he homered against the Phillies, and was always a consistent producer from the leadoff spot from the day we got him to game 7 of the World Series.


2001: Giants trade OF Armando Rios and RHP Ryan Vogelsong to the Pirates for OF John Vander Wal and RHP Jason Schmidt

Analysis: Possibly the best trade of the Sabean era, and also quite possibly the biggest rip off in the last few years, with the Giants receiving what would prove to be one of the most dominating pitchers in all of baseball, although he didn't start pitching like an ace until he got to the San Francisco, where he went 7-1. Ironically, his first start as a Giant came against Pittsburgh, his former team. I still laugh when I see Vogelsong get shelled in an occasional relief appearance for the Pirates, while Armando Rios came up testing positive for steroids.


2000: Giants trade RHP Scott Linebrink to Astros for RHP Doug Henry

Analysis: This is a trade where repercussions weren't really felt until the 2004 season. Linebrink later went to the Padres and became a key cog in their bullpen last season, developed into a premier setup man, and had Giants fans everywhere kicking themselves with the San Francisco bullpen suffering the way it was. The bullpen problems proved to be the ultimate demise of the Giants in '04.


1999: Giants trade RHP Nate Bump and RHP Jason Grilli to Marlins for RHP Livan Hernandez

Analysis: Livan definitely has his moments as a Giant. He'd pitch a complete game shutout one day, and the next he'd get shelled for 8 runs in 2 innings. One of the more frustrating pitchers to watch on a regular basis, but he did win 17 games, and on a good day was lights out. He was the losing pitcher in game 7 of the World Series in 2002, so when he exited we all knew his time was most definitely up with the Giants.


1998: Giants trade OF Daryl Hamilton, Jim Stoops and Jason Brester to Rockies for OF Ellis Burks

Analysis: Burks was always a class act, and a great Giant. He was productive in the clutch, and was one of their more consistent hitters. His time with San Francisco was up when problems with his knees forced him to exit stage left.


Sabean's deadline trades have always made some sort of impact, whether it's small or large. Last season, it was the lack of trading that made the biggest impact, with the Giant's bullpen implosion against the Dodgers, where with no other options, they turned to none other than Wayne Franklin to shut the door. Bad idea. So now, we'll address the current problems the Giants have, and discuss ways in which they can be remedied.

Starting Pitching:This has been a problem that has plagued the Giants since April. Schmidt hasn't really been himself all season, 2 starters have made moves to the bullpen due to ineffectiveness, and Brad Hennessey and Kevin Correia have been rotated in and out of the Majors more times than I can count. The Giant's team ERA is 3rd to last in the NL so something needs to happen. There have been trade rumors swirling around Jason Schmidt, but the Giants aren't likely to trade away an ace starter and make their problems with their rotation worse. Sabean was working on acquiring Jason Jennings from the Rockies, but Jennings went out with a season-ending injury, so in all likeliness his best and most affordable option right now is Mark Redman of the Pirates.

Bullpen: Once again the Giant's problem this year is a lack of closer. They thought they had this fixed by bringing in Armando Benitez, but he's out till September, while interim closer Tyler Walkers confidence has been shattered ever since surrendering the winning run in a rough outting against the Dodgers. He has yet to register a save since that game. There are no available closers on the market right now, and Sabean is not going to waste time and resources on finding a temporary replacement with the iminent return of Benitez.

Offense: The Giants rank next to last in the National League in home runs, but are 3rd in batting average. Their current lineup pails in comparison to the ones of past years, where every spot, 1 through 8, was a threat to drive in runs. A Ray Durham for Kaz Matsui of the Mets deal was nixed when the Mets rejected the offer, but Matsui isn't much of an upgrade at 2nd base as it is. There have been whispered rumors of a deal that would send Giant's pitching prospect Matt Cain to the Reds in exchange for Adam Dunn. Whether or not Sabean would go through with that deal remains to be seen, but he does have a reputation for dealing young phenoms for proven players. Other than Dunn, there aren't a lot of other options on the market right now so the Giants will have to settle for what they get.


According to the Giant's GM, the Giants are currently in "acquisition mode", even though they have not yet disclosed to the public whether or not they are going to be buyers or sellers come July 31st. If the Giants are sellers, then that will mean that they have given up on this season and are looking towards 2006. But with the weak NL West, there is always a chance to contend, with the first place Padres slumping. If the Giants can string some wins together, and acquire a starter and a big bat at the deadline, then they can challenge for the first place spot currently in the hands of team on life support right now. Think about it.


Special Thanks to Baseball-Reference.com for providing the trade records