Giants shore up infield with Pirates’ Sanchez

Giants acquire 2B Freddy Sanchez from the Pirates for RHP Tim Alderson The price was quite a bit higher than expected, though I think Alderson’s rep is a bit overblown. The Pirates still did far better here than the Diamondbacks did in the Felipe Lopez trade. Sanchez fills a big need for the Giants, who had tried Emmanuel Burriss, Kevin Frandsen, Matt Downs, Juan Uribe and Eugenio Velez at second base. He doesn’t offer a whole lot besides the .300 average, but he’s a nice No. 2 hitter and a steady defender. I don’t like the idea of paying him $8.1 million next year, but that’s what he’ll earn if his vesting option kicks in with 600 plate appearances. He’s at 382 right now, so he’s on pace to top that total. The Giants should be looking at a lineup of: RF Randy Winn 2B Sanchez 3B Pablo Sandoval C Bengie Molina CF Aaron Rowand 1B Ryan Garko/Travis Ishikawa SS Edgar Renteria LF Nate Schierholtz Fred Lewis, Andres Torres and Velez will keep helping out in the outfield with Rowand and Schierholtz hurt. It’s the still the weakest lineup of any NL contender, but there are no longer any major holes. In Alderson, the Pirates are getting a 20-year-old right-hander who was 6-1 with a 3.47 ERA in 13 starts since moving up to Double-A Connecticut. For the year, he’s allowed 107 hits, walked 17 and struck out 66 in 98 2/3 innings. He has a strikeout curve that he’ll probably use more in the majors. His fastball is just average for a right-hander, and his changeup needs work. That the Giants have had him focusing on the change more frequently has taken a toll on his numbers this year, but could pay off in the end. He should debut sometime next summer. My guess is that he’ll be a No. 4 starter, but he could turn into something more with an improved change.