PITTSBURGH -- Brian Giles was traded by the Pirates to the
San Diego Padres on Tuesday in a long-rumored deal that sends
left-hander Oliver Perez, outfielder Jason Bay and a player to be
named to Pittsburgh.
Also Tuesday, the Padres traded All-Star outfielder
Rondell White to the Royals for two pitching prospects.
Perez, a 22-year-old starter who is 4-7 with a 5.38 ERA with San
Diego, and Bay, currently with Triple-A Portland, are expected to
join the Pirates in time for Wednesday night's game against
Florida.
The deal, in the planning stages before the deadline for trading
without waivers on July 31, initially would have sent outfielder
Giles and catcher Jason Kendall to the Padres for Perez, outfielder
Xavier Nady and at least one other player.
However, the deal fell through when the two sides could not
agree on how much of the $42 million remaining on Kendall's
contract after this season the Pirates would pick up.
This deal makes perfect sense for the Padres. Brian Giles is one of the most underrated players in the game. He's posted nothing but good numbers for the four-plus years he's been in the National League.
With the Padres opening a new ballpark next season, they need something to sell fans on, and getting Giles is the proverbial step in the right direction. And Giles is a San Diego guy, so there will be an automatic connection with fans.
The Padres gave up some good young players. Oliver Perez, a left-handed starter, has a chance to be a quality pitcher, and minor-league outfielder Jason Bay has the potential to become a good major-league hitter. Earlier, Xavier Nady was said to be part of this deal, so I'm somewhat surprised to see Bay involved.
One unknown is the player to be named later. But regardless of who it is, sometimes you need to give up young players to get a quality veteran like Giles.
On the Pirates' side of this deal, it looks like they're trying to unload salary. Look at the players they've traded this season since falling out of contention: Aramis Ramirez, Kenny Lofton, Jeff Suppan, Mike Williams, now Giles -- and they've been shopping catcher Jason Kendall.
It's good that the Pirates are getting some young players in return who could blossom down the road. But for Pittsburgh fans, it must be disheartening to see the heart and soul of your team get traded away.
The talks heated up again after the Pirates backed off packaging
Kendall in the trade, which sends Pittsburgh's most productive
offensive player since Barry Bonds back to his hometown to play.
Giles, a San Diego native, has been one of the NL's most
consistent run producers since being acquired by Cleveland for
reliever Ricardo Rincon before the 1999 season, averaging 35 homers
and 100-plus RBI. He is currently hitting .299 with 16 homers and
70 RBI despite sitting out a month with a knee injury.
The Pirates have not had a winning record or contended since
signing Giles.
"There's a lot of disappointment -- and satisfaction," Giles
said. "It's disappointing because when I signed here, I wanted to
play for a championship club here, but it just didn't work out. ...
But I'm excited to go back and play in my hometown."
The cash-strapped Pirates have dealt their top starting pitcher
(Jeff Suppan), their top relievers (Mike Williams and Scott
Sauerbeck) and two most productive position players (Aramis Ramirez
and Giles) since mid-July. The trades came after owner Kevin
McClatchy disclosed the team may have lost as much as $30 million
since opening PNC Park in 2001.
Giles will become a centerpiece for the Padres, who have the worst record in the National League but will be moving into a new stadium, PETCO Park, next season.
White goes from a team that's been in last place since April to
a team that's just one game behind the Chicago White Sox in the AL
Central race.
White was obtained from the New York Yankees in a spring
training deal for outfielder Bubba Trammell and minor league
left-hander Mark Phillips.
The Padres had been looking to move White for some time. He's
making $5 million this year and is eligible for free agency after
the season.
The Padres will send some cash to Kansas City, but will also
save some money on White's salary that they can apply to Giles, who
will earn a little more than $1 million the rest of the season.
White was hitting .278 with 18 homers and 66 RBI.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.