Sanchez No-No

I must admit, I did not see this one coming. Jonathan Sanchez throwing a no-hitter for the Giants Friday night against the Padres. First off, Sanchez was fantastic. Nary a hit allowed of course, but also no walks, to go with 11 strikeouts. Sanchez has been known to miss bats, but the control he exhibited Friday was especially encouraging.

Granted it was against a Padres lineup that won't strike fear into the hearts of pitchers. And Sanchez remains a work in progress-- I'm not even sure he will get to see this through in a Giants uniform. Instead, he seems tagged for another destination, while Brian Sabean is in need of some offense. Looking at what the Giants need, not sure there are a ton of trading partners out there, but let's through a few ideas out there...

Proposition 1: Sanchez to St. Louis for Ryan Ludwick. This would seem to be a win/win, because of St. Louis' glut of outfielders and the Giants need for power. Also, the Cardinals could definitely use Sanchez in their rotation-- they only have one lefty on the roster (reliever Jaime Garcia).

Proposition 2: Sanchez, Merkin Valdez and Tim Alderson to Cincinnati for Joey Votto. I'm pretty sure this deal wouldn't happen, but you have to wonder if the Reds might consider parting with Votto, who seems to be over his bout with depression, (which was apparently was brought on by his father's death in the offseason) in exchange for three pitching prospects. No doubt a king's ransom, but Votto is a 25 year old lefty that could be the power hitter SF needs to build around for the next decade. After Sabean got burned on Pierzynski, though, I doubt he would have the stones to pull the trigger on this one.

The only other power bat that could be available is Russ Branyan. The 33 year old has 21 homers already for the Mariners, and the asking price probably wouldn't be too high. Especially when you consider that he is 3 HRs away from a career high, and has hit more than 20 jacks only 1 other time in his career. But you figure if he''s doing that at Safeco (11 HR at home, 10 on road), Pac Bell would suit him fine as well...

As for the blog, I know I've been short-changing you guys with the inconsistent postings, but after all-- you get what you pay for! Kidding... But having said that, I'll try to chime in at least once or twice a week going forward. Thanks for reading!