Category: MLB (Page 424 of 448)

Just days after almost getting into a fistfight with Toronto Blue Jays’ manager John Gibbons, Shea Hillenbrand was traded to the San Francisco Giants. The Giants sent relief pitcher Jeremy Accardo and also received reliever Vinnie Chulk from Toronto.

In a well-publicized tirade earlier last week, Hillenbrand was upset with the Blue Jays organization for not congratulating him and his wife on adopting a baby girl. On top of that, Hillenbrand was irate over the fact that he wasn’t in the Toronto lineup once he returned from signing the adoption papers.

Matters got worse when Hillenbrand decided to partake in a little freelance writing.

Hillenbrand was designated for assignment during Toronto’s game Wednesday night after writing “play for yourself” on a board the Blue Jays use to post batting practice times. He later wrote the “ship was sinking” before manager John Gibbons challenged him to a fight during a team meeting.

San Francisco adds the pop to their lineup that they have so desperately been seeking while trying to contend in a tight NL West race. Hillenbrand will play first base for the Giants and probably bat right behind Barry Bonds.

For the Blue Jays, they get a rising young pitcher in Accardo, whom the Giants weren’t thrilled to part with given their bullpen struggles this season. However, GM Brian Sabean thought that the Giants could acquire relief help easier before the trade deadline than he could get a bat like Hillenbrand.

It’s trading time in the MLB and what better way to welcome this important point in the season than to revisit what is turning out to be one of the worst trades in the past three years?

When the Minnesota Twins’ wanted to see more of a young catcher named Joe Mauer in 2003, they decided to send their current starting backstop A.J. Pierzynski to the San Francisco Giants for relief pitcher Joe Nathan and two young prospects.

At the time, Pierzynski was an All-Star catcher and the Giants were in desperate need of catcher after relying on the likes of father-time ridden Benito Santiago for three years.

And sending young prospects that never seemed to pan out for proven players was GM Brian Sabean’s specialty for a long time. It was how Sabean built the 2002 World Series Giants.

What followed, however, was a disastrous situation that seems to only be getting worse for Sabean and the Giants. Pierzynski only lasted one year in San Francisco’s organization with sporadic play and worse yet, being labeled as a cancer in the clubhouse.

Nathan, who wasn’t regarded as closer material in the Giants organization, immediately took over as a dominant closer for the Twins and made the All-Star game in 2004 and 2005. Currently, Nathan is 5-0 with a 1.70 ERA, has converted 15 out of 16 save opportunists and has 53 strikeouts.

The news gets worse for the Giants. One of the two young prospects that San Francisco packaged up for Pierzynski was Boof Bonser, who is 2-2 with a 5.30 ERA as the fifth starter for Minnesota.

The other young prospect?

Rookie left-hander Francisco Liriano, who is one of the baseball’s biggest stories and who is currently 10-2 with a 2.12 ERA and who has 108 strikeouts.

Making matters even worse is that big mouth Pierzynski has a World Series ring after signing with the 2005 Champion Chicago White Sox after being cut by the Giants.

By the way, Mauer was the starting catcher for the AL All-Star team after hitting .373 with seven dingers and 45 RBI in the first half of the season.

To say that the Twins robbed the Giants would be a vast understatement.

Bobby Abreu, who launched a staggering 41 dingers in last year’s slugfest, has hit a paltry 14 home runs in the year since. Abreu, a perennial 30-30 threat, has been a wreck since last year’s performance. Garret Anderson hasn’t been the same since he won the Derby in 2003, either. After averaging just over 30 home runs a year from 2000-2003, he has hit a total of 38 home runs over the last two and a half seasons. That’s right, kids: the Home Run Derby Curse is born.

So I hope you’ll forgive me, but I’m hoping that Big Papi gets bumped in the first round. I need him in the groove.

Update: David Wright just finished, and all I can say is: good thing ESPN was using a tape delay. Wash that boy’s mouth out with soap!