GIANTS GET MELKY CABRERA
The San Francisco Giants acquired outfielder Melky Cabrera from the Kansas City Royals for pitchers Jonathan Sanchez and Ryan Verdugo.
What does it give the San Francisco Giants
With Carlos Beltran, Aaron Rowand, Pat Burrell, Cody Ross and Mark DeRosa all free agents, the Giants do a solid job here in adding an above-average outfielder in Cabrera. He's not quite a star but Cabrera should be a quality fixture in the everyday lineup near the top of the order, something the run-starved Giants are in desperate need of. They lose an important dimension from the rotation by giving up Sanchez, but the emergence of Madison Bumgarner, Ryan Vogelsong and Eric Surkamp offsets it. Moving into San Fran's spacious AT&T Park could hurt Cabrera's numbers moving forward, though.
What does it give the Kansas City Royals
Sanchez has an excellent chance to become KC's new ace, following a season in which the Royals posted a 4.44 team ERA. He could be the team's most proven starter and, if he can stay healthy, Sanchez should provide his new team with some much-needed stability and help at the top of the rotation. Verdugo is awhile away after transitioning to starter status last season at Double-A but he possesses electric strikeout potential for down the road. Meanwhile, the Royals have several solid young outfielders who can step up to potentially replace Cabrera (including Lorenzo Cain and Jarrod Dyson). Like Cabrera, Sanchez may see a dropoff in numbers--in his case because he's LEAVING AT&T Park.
Fantasy impact
