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Most people consider the trade deadline to be a time for contenders to stock up for the stretch run ... so what's a couple of last-place teams like San Francisco and Pittsburgh doing swapping players? That's what happened, as the Giants sent 32-year-old starting pitcher Matt Morris to the Pirates in exchange for 26-year-old backup outfielder Rajai Davis and the always popular Player To Be Named Later.I suppose this makes sense for the Giants, who have a chance to get out from underneath Morris' contract. He signed a three-year, $27 million deal prior to last season and has responded with a 4.98 ERA last year and a 4.32 ERA thus far this season. He's not a bad back-of-the-rotation starter, but not a guy you want to give $9 million a year.
Davis may never be a star, but he's shown a proven ability (in the minors, at least) to hit for average, draw walks and steal bases. Plus, at 26 years old, he's 17 years younger than Barry Bonds, nine years younger than Dave Roberts and seven years younger than Randy Winn. Considering the Giants' lineup features six guys at least 35 years old (seven if you count the injured Mike Matheny), rolling the dice by trading a disappointing pitcher for a cheap kid who might compete for the team's leadoff spot within a year isn't a horrible idea.
But it begs the question, just why did the Pirates make this trade? I don't see Nate McLouth as being that much better (if at all) over Davis. And lets face it, moving Davis for Morris certainly doesn't make them competitive. Morris might have some name value in the NL Central among Pirates fans who remember him as a member of the Cardinals, but it's not like he's the type of guy that will sell extra tickets on days that he starts.
My only guess is that this has something to do with Ian Snell and Tom Gorzelanny (aka, the real future of this team) getting shelled lately, and the team wanted to pick up at least someone to help stop (or slow) the bleeding. And if Morris reverts back to his 2005 self (a big if, I know) next year, well, the Pirates would feature one of the best trio of starting pitchers in the division. That said, this trade still reeks like a Derek Bell type move, bringing in an expensive veteran for the sake of bringing in an expensive veteran, regardless if he's already on the decline.
Previously on FanHouse:
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