Rumors were just beginning to swirl that the San Francisco Giants were willing to put starting pitcher Jonathan Sanchez on the trade market. Apparently, general manager Brian Sabean had his finger on the trigger already.
According to the Kansas City Royals twitter feed amongst other sources, the San Francisco Giants have officially traded Jonathan Sanchez and minor leaguer Ryan Verdugo to the Kansas City Royals for outfielder Melky Cabrera.
Coming off a injury plagued season, Sanchez went just 4-7 with 4.26 ERA along with a 66/102 BB to K ratio, and undoubtedly was seen as expendable with the emergence of Ryan Vogelsong to the starting lineup. It's always tough to let a guy go that has a no-hitter and a world series ring with the Franchise, but sometimes a fresh start is best for all.
As for Cabrera, the 27 year old Dominican Republic native, he will likely be the Giants starting center fielder next year after batting .305/.339/.470 with 18 home runs and 20 stolen bases in 155 games last season for the Royals. He will undoubtedly add a spark to the Giants offense, though his lack of defensive range in the expanses of the AT&T Park outfield may become an issue. But, they needed some more bats, and this was a great start.
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