Anyone an ESPN Insider? There is an article on the trade posted....

http://insider.espn.go.com/blog/the-...st%3fid%3d2252

I'm not saying we'd be favored to win, but we'd certainly become a trendy dark-horse pick by the media, and probably favored to finish 2nd, which is quite a bit different from having no shot at even 3rd place in April.

It was mostly written for the benefit of Giants fans and what Cabrera means for them. Not much in there for us, except a note that we likely won the trade.

I think we are the second best team in the division right now. Its going to be hard to get past the Tigers with the two horses at the top of their rotation, but I don't know how their bats will be. Hopefully Miggy eats himself to 3 bills this offseason.

It's written by Jim Bowden, so take it with a grain of salt, but here it is:

Sanchez a worthwhile risk for Royals
November, 7, 2011
NOV 7
4:45
PM ET
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By Jim Bowden


Despite his strong arm and upside, the Giants cut bait on left-hander Jonathan Sanchez.


The San Francisco Giants could not wait any longer for left-hander Jonathan Sanchez to live up to his potential, sending him and minor leaguer Ryan Verdugo to the Kansas City Royals in exchange for center fielder Melky Cabrera.

Call it an underachieving pitcher for a second-division center fielder.

The flame-throwing Sanchez has long intrigued baseball people for his arm, displaying flashes of brilliance with a devastating slider and a mid-90s darting fastball. The problem is that his fastball has darted out of the strike zone more often than in it. In 708 career innings, Sanchez has struck out 736 men but also walked 376. The Royals liked him enough to trade their starting center fielder for him.

Cabrera enjoyed a good season, hitting .305 with 18 homers and 87 RBIs and showed some of the promise the Yankees thought they would see at some point after he made his big league debut in 2005. Like Sanchez, Cabrera has largely disappointed during his career so far, but he seemed to have turned a corner in 2011 and matured into a decent division outfielder. Verdugo has tremendous makeup and is a left-handed pitcher who pounds the zone and attacks hitters. He was put in the rotation last year with the intent of improving the quality of his pitches and struck out 9.2 men per nine innings for Double-A Richmond. However, the Royals see Verdugo as a quality left-handed setup reliever in the future for them.
Why this move?

This was a pure baseball trade; a deal that helped both ball clubs financially and plugged some gaping holes by taking moderate risks on two players who still have some upside. Both players are arbitration-eligible and can be free agents after the 2012 season. Sanchez struggled with an ankle injury most of the year, posting a mediocre 4-7 record with a 4.26 ERA. Royals GM Dayton Moore said the deal is a wash financially for both teams.

Moore also said he feels Lorenzo Cain can adequately fill Cabrera’s shoes in center field. Cain is faster and more athletic than Cabrera, but Cabrera gets better jumps and takes better angles on fly balls, something Moore is confident Cain will be able to improve upon in time. Offensively, Cain has the potential to at least equal Cabrera’s production.

The Giants get an upgrade in center after cutting loose Aaron Rowand and coming to grips with Andres Torres' 2010 season as a fluke. For the Giants, it was about the options available and what they could get for Sanchez. It is disappointing an arm like Sanchez did not fetch more value, whether that meant an outfielder with more ceiling or more club control, in terms of contracts. B.J. Upton and Denard Span -- two of the most coveted outfield trade prospects --were perhaps out of range for Giants GM Brian Sabean.

The Giants are set in the rotation with Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, Madison Bumgarner and Ryan Vogelsong, so Sanchez became expendable. The Royals are desperate for starting pitching and the risk/reward with an arm like Sanchez is worth it. And this is a huge upgrade in the rotation for the Royals if Sanchez can even come close to duplicating the success he had in 2010 when he went 13-9 with a 3.07 ERA and 205 strikeouts. When he has control, he can easily be a No. 2 starter. And at 28, Sanchez still has time to rectify the control problems that have plagued his career.
What’s next?

For the Giants, they will continue to pursue Carlos Beltran with the idea of returning him to right field. Though Jose Reyes is a better fit and would be more useful to the Giants, sources said they are committed to going into 2012 with second-year man Brandon Crawford at shortstop. Likewise, Sabean seems comfortable letting a No. 5 starter emerge from either Barry Zito, Eric Surkamp or a multitude of farmhands.

Do not be surprised to see the Royals go after more starting pitching. Someone like Braves right-hander Jair Jurrjens is a prime example of a pitcher Moore might pursue. He has enough minor league talent to be able to acquire other young, yet seasoned, starting pitching. This will be only the first of several moves Moore will make this winter.


Grades:
Royals: B+
Giants: B-

The Royals don't have to "win" this trade in order for it to be a good move. The fact that it allows us to unlock Cain's value. If Cabrera goes .290, 20, 90 and Sanches goes 13-8 with a 3.50 ERA, the trade is a wash, but the Royals are better for it as long as Cain plays well.

It is crazy to think that if Gordon gets an extension this offseason, our lineup could be 100% set through 2015, and primarily set through 2017 (excluding Butler and Escobar).

If a true top of the rotation pitcher is available via trade, now might be the time to make a deal.

If that's true, both teams are huge winners.

I wasn't really talking about you. There seems to be a lot of "this is our time" over the last several pages... and as much as I want that to be true I kind of doubt it just yet... but we should be on our way.

Thank you

I don't think that's crazy at all. It's a "could be" depending on how Gia, Moose, Perez and Cain do over the long haul imo.

I'm still concerned about 2B. I don't see Gio at 2B for the next 5 years. I can live with him there because the rest of our lineup is so solid, but I would like to upgrade.

If Gio works out, we could have a monsterous lineup. On the other hand, do we really know what we have behind the plate, at 2B, or CF? Can Escobar hit for a full season? Was 2011 a fluke for Gordon and Frenchy?

It's altogether possible that we've got Gordon, Butler, and not much else. That scares me, but I think it's more likely that we've got a solid lineup.

Nice, a guy with a career 38-46 record with a 4.26 ERA. Print em!

Another interesting consideration would be if Montgomery, Odorizzi, or Dwyer suddenly live up to their potential. Or what if Crow successfully transitions to a starter? IIRC, Dayton indicated they were working Monty's change last year, which was part of the reason for his command issues. The potential depth is tremendous.

Current staff: Paulino, Sanchez, Hochevar, Duffy
Guys who could convert from the pen: Crow, Holland
HiPo Guys in the minors who could reach the bigs: Montgomery, Odorizzi, Dwyer

I'm just saying... it's sexy. Odorizzi is a strikeout machine, monty has three plus pitches and Dwyer just needs a little control on that sick curveball of his (he could also stand to improve his changeup, I am given to believe.)

Duffy is an out-pitch away from being a stud.