Pirates should be cautious on dealing Giles

Updated: June 24, 2003, 11:30 AM ET
By Jim Baker
On Monday, we linked you to a story by Dan Graziano of the Newark Star-Ledger that cited anonymous sources who say the Pirates and Yankees have had several trade discussions centered around struggling pitcher Jeff Weaver. As is usually the case where the Pirates are concerned, the name Brian Giles surfaced. While there is no actual evidence that a swap involving both Giles and Weaver is in the works, it has been no secret that the Yankees have had Giles envy in recent years.

The possibility that the Pirates would consider trading Giles inspired a lot of mail. That it would be to the Yankees was especially galling to this reader:

    Jim: If the Pirates trade Giles to the Yanks or any team for that matter, it shows the simple fact that Pittsburgh has no desire to win. I hate the Yankees more than anyone, but having a team like the Pirates trade their star to the Yankees would not only infuriate me, but it would support the notion that rebuilding requires being at the top at some point. As you pointed out, an all-star quality player like Giles, making over $7 million per year is a GM's dream and trading this guy to acquire a sub-par pitcher is absurd. Get some players and attempt to be a contender and stop this effort to dump salary and hope that young, inexperienced players win titles. If Pittsburgh trades Giles to the Yanks, I will hate both teams equally. However, if Boston gets him....

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Jim Baker is an author at Baseball Prospectus and a frequent contributor to Page 2. You can e-mail Jim at bottlebat@gmail.com.

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