Apparently the Tejada injury last night forced Brian Sabean's hand. He pulled the trigger on a deal today to bring the versatile Jeff Keppinger from the Houston Astros for minor leaguers Henry Sosa and Jason Stoffel. I really like this deal, maybe more than a blockbuster for Beltran or Hunter Pence.
Keppinger has played for several teams. I've been aware of him playing for the Cincinnati Reds and the 'Stros. I've always liked him. He can play any infield position including shortstop. He is a good hitter, albeit one with little power and he does not take many walks. He'll hit .290-.310 with a OBP of .320-.340 and a SLG% of .380-.400. In other words, he'll give you what Freddy Sanchez gives you at the plate. In this Giants lineup with this Giants pitching staff, that is actually huge. Think of how many times the Giants have failed to cash in on scoring opportunities when a single up the middle would have driven in a run or even two. He'll be the regular second baseman starting tomorrow. He could slide over to shortstop if Crawford continues to struggle at the plate and/or if Freddy comes back for the stretch run. He's arbitration eligible for next year.
As for Sosa and Stoffel. I don't mind giving them up at all for the kind of value Keppinger gives the Giants. Sosa has pitched better since being taken off the 40 man roster and his demotion to AA, but his career has been pretty much stalled for some time. Stoffel could eventually develop into a closer but has a long ways to go and has been passed by Heath Hembree on the Closer fast track.
The Giants also recalled Brandon Belt from AAA Fresno where he was still being Brandon Belt. Huff has shown no signs of turning it around and now admits his back has been bothering him. Time it give Belt another chance. I have to admit I have my doubts that he has overcome the lack of aggressiveness that held him back the first time around. In fact, it looks to me like he may have even regressed some more in that regard since coming back from the broken hand. It will be interesting to see how the Second Greek God of Walks fares with his super selective approach at the plate.
Lineup:
Torres
Keppinger
Pablo
Nate
Ross
Belt
Whiteside
Crawford
Hey, #2-6 might do some damage!
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DrB, I liked the trade because they needed middle infield depth badly. Keppinger gives them insurance too incase Sanchez is not ready by spring 2012. Stoffel became expendable with the rise of Hembree..
ReplyDeleteInteresting that Sabean said he was working on something bigger that didn't materialize. I like that he sounds determined to improve the offense. He knows it'll be tough to sustain their winning ways throughout the season without a better offense.
was a good, well thought out trade...for both clubs
ReplyDeletekepp is also arb eligible for next season, so he is insurance in case freddy cannot start the season with the big club...he can also be signed as the super utility
belt looked good tonite, so his head is in the right place, and his wrist appears to be fully healed (his dinger was off an inside pitch)
i dont think sabean is all that concerned with the stretch run...more concerned about offense during the playoffs
With the pitchers the Giants have both in the bigs and in the minors, Stoffel and Sosa really have little value to the Giants. I'm not sure what the trade market around Keppinger was, but sort of surprised this is all it took to get him. Going forward, he could be an improvement at the super-utility role over Fontenot.
ReplyDeleteBelt looks decent so far tonight, but of course we need to see what happens going forward... Going to opposite field on a ball away and going deep on a ball inside is really why he is such a highly regarded prospect... Very few players are capable of putting together an approach to take extra bases on the two pitches...
DrB-
ReplyDeleteWhat do you think about acquiring Michael Cuddyer? He has positional flexibility (2B, 3B, OF) and is a middle-of-the-order hitter. I don't know what his contract is like, but who would you be willing (if anyone) to trade for him?
I"m not a huge fan of Cuddyer. Good, not great, hitter. Kind of a clunker in the field. Can go into slumps.
ReplyDeleteI think Beltran would be a difference maker if he stayed healthy. I think Hunter Pence would almost certainly be a difference maker, but I doubt he's obtainable. Cuddyer? Not so much.