Breaking News

[ghettochild]

http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/a...=.jsp&c_id=mlb

LaTroy is now a giant

[bwitty24]

I think the cubs got the better side of te deal talent wise, jerome is still so young

[Fishercat]

Williams and Aardsma for LaTroy? Weren't they both good prospects?

[McKain]

Helluva deal for Chicago.

Williams has been struggling, but he'll still project to be a good starter, and David Aardsma is just extra gravy on the deal.

[Steak]

Latroy was a complete dissapointment in his two years in Chicago. His time in his hometown was miserable to say the least. Sometimes you can never go home. Glad the Twins did not overpay him to stay. I never was a fan of his. He did good under when Rick Anderson was the pitching coach the Twins, but after he left Rick, Latroy became the pitcher that Twins fans grown to hate which is imploding under pressure. I like to say I feel bad for him, but I don't after he badmouthed the Twins on his way out the door. This is the organization who gave him millions of chances and for their reward, the Twins get savaged by him. Screw him. Good to see him get his.

[love_that_reefer]

Williams has been struggling and I don't think he truly recovered from his surgery on his arm. Williams was getting tore up in Triple A. Aarsdma has done ok but the Giants tried to make him a starter to get more innings and more work. Aardsma has been working on a breaking ball and a changeup. Hawkins is coming to a better situation and will return to the setup role. Walker is still our closer. So the Giants get a proven reliever and the Cubs get some guys who need a little work.

[MerkinValdez37]

Not a deal I would have done but it's not as bad as it looks on paper. Aardsma had a good arm, High 90's fastball and a good slider/knuckle curve whatever they were calling it but when it came down to it he just wasn't dominant against Major League and Tripple A hitters like he was in Low A and College. Having 3 pitches wasn't going to help him be a starter in the long run either. As for Williams I think he was overhyped. I never saw anything special in him. I can't think of any start where he was overpowering. It's still a lot for Hawkins but if we manage to stay no more then 5 games back by the time Barry comes back it could pay off.

[Saber]

It's even worse than it looks on paper. Within a year or two Aardsma will be better than Hawkins, and LaTroy seems to freak out whenever he pitches the ninth. A good future starter in Williams is great too. If I were the Cubs, I'd have made this deal for either one of those pitchers by themselves.

[love_that_reefer]

Hawkins won't be pitching in the ninth. He was fine til he got to Chicago and thrown to the wolves. Williams is 1-4 with an ERA over 9. The Giants have been disappointed with Aardsma progress so it was good for both teams. Hawkins is god compared to Herges and Christiansen. Hawkins now has the third best ERA on the Giants now. I don't think Sabean is done either.

[froggyvk]

This is a good trade in my opinion. It could help us in the short and long term. Williams can start in the short-term while we wait for Prior to heal. He will also be a candidate for the 5th starter's role next season. He's young and has decent to good stuff. Aardsma isn't bad either. He hasn't looked good in his brief major league appearances, but his minor league numbers are nice. With the recent success of Wellemeyer, Ohman, and Wuertz, spending 4 million on Hawkins was unnecessary.

I still don't understand why Sabean has the reputation of being one of the best GMs in baseball, and Giants fans, don't try to convince me otherwise. I've already heard your arguments and am not convinced.

[love_that_reefer]

Look at the records Froggy. Look at how this team has played without Benitez and Bonds. Sabean is great and that's all the proof you need.

[Hammer]

I really like Aardsma, and I don't think Hawkins got a fair shake in Chicago, as everything became his fault after a while. Williams is the wild card... I've heard that he wasn't the same pitcher because of his father's death... he was a solid pitcher a year or so ago as far as I remember, so I don't see a reason he should drop off so dramatically. Either way, the trade helps both teams in the direction they are going... Giants near the top of the West, albeit not impressively so, Cubs nearing the bottom of the Central with all the injuries.

[General]

Good deal for both teams, traded their disappointments away.