Hillenbrand to the Giants...

SLAB

SLAB

Hall of Famer
#1
#1
http://sanfrancisco.giants.mlb.com/...ent_id=1569117&vkey=news_sf&fext=.jsp&c_id=sf

SAN FRANCISCO -- The Giants bolstered their offense by acquiring two-time All-Star first baseman Shea Hillenbrand from the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday, but lost a potential closer in right-handed reliever Jeremy Accardo.


San Francisco also got right-handed reliever Vinnie Chulk in the no-cash deal.

The Giants needed a solid-hitting right-handed batter and first sacker, and when the 30-year-old Hillenbrand was designated for assignment this week after a blowup with Blue Jays manager John Gibbons, the former Arizona Diamondbacks star became a priority.

This year, Hillenbrand was batting .301 with 40 runs, 15 doubles, 12 homers and 39 RBIs, while splitting time between first and third. He is a renowned hitter with runners in scoring position.

Accardo, a non-drafted free agent signed in 2003 by San Francisco, was 1-3 with three saves and a 4.91 ERA this year, but had developed into a solid setup man with what manager Felipe Alou called "closing stuff."
Chulk, 27, is 1-0 with a 5.25 ERA over 20 games with Toronto this season.
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Ugh...Trading yet another potentially gifted closer for yet another player that will make minimal impact and leave within the year...I pray this is another David Aardsma rather than the second Joe Nathan.

And we get some deadweight in Vinnie Chulk, who as well as being the epitome of mediocre, is one of the goofiest looking men in all of the major leagues.
 
BawLa

BawLa

Starter
#2
#2
SLAB said:
Ugh...Trading yet another potentially gifted closer for yet another player that will make minimal impact and leave within the year...I pray this is another David Aardsma rather than the second Joe Nathan.

And we get some deadweight in Vinnie Chulk, who as well as being the epitome of mediocre, is one of the goofiest looking men in all of the major leagues.
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I feel you on the losing Accardo. He seemed like he was living up to the hype. But on the other hand he has been shaky, like a rookie should be. There is no guarantee that he will be the closer everyone thinks. His approach is what is so deceptive about his delivery, and once hitters figure that out, he might plateau.

Either way we get an awesome bat to add to our lineup. And we have a permanent first baseman now (damn I was just starting to like Santos). Sweeney will be great as a pinch hitter, and he is willing to accept that role. As for Niekro, we can use him as trade bait if he finds a way to stay off of the DL.

With up-and-coming relievers like Correia, Hennessy, Wilson, and especially Sanchez, we don't need Accardo as much as I originally thought. But now we have a much more clutch version of Pedro Feliz to add to the middle of our lineup. It is a move like this that can propell a team like ours into the playoffs. And it seemed like we were ready to blastoff already as we have been playing good baseball since the ASB. With our current momentum adding one more clutch bat to help our awesome starting pitching could be the catylist for us to get our swagger back.

Great move Sabean, yet again.

Go Giants!
 
SLAB

SLAB

Hall of Famer
#3
#3
I do agree we have plenty of other bullpen pieces to fill the void, but I still kind of wish we could have tryed something like ex-uuber prospect Merkin Valdez and Scott Munter or Jack Taschner for Hillenbrand/Chulk.

And have you read the Hillenbrand stories? Writing "The ship is sinking" of the team bulletin board wehn they are 14 games above .500? What if the Giants go into one of their patended losing streaks? What if he decides to have beef with Bonds?

It's risky...

Hopefully it will help us, though.

Fingers crossed!
 
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