I liked the results of the Kevin Towers Trade Profile, so I sat down and compiled Brian Sabean’s trades since 2001 in a spreadsheet. Download san_francisco_giants_sabean.xls here.
One thing’s for sure: Sabean is due to make some deals. He’s yet to make a single trade in 2006. He waited til May last year, but ended up making eight trades in 2005. Sabean typically makes about five trades per calendar year.
Of his 26 trades since 2001, Sabean has dealt with 18 different GMs. He’s not one to just stick to his buddies. As far as popular trading partners, Doug Melvin tops the list. Melvin has completed four trades with Sabean, all fairly minor (Doug Mirabelli, Eric Young, Wayne Franklin, Dave Burba). Sabean has also made multiple trades with Mike Flanagan, Jim Hendry, Bill Stoneman, and Kenny Williams.
The Giants need some help at first base, with Todd Walker and Phil Nevin surfacing as options. Sabean is not afraid to make a splash at the deadline, with such acquisitions as Jason Schmidt, Kenny Lofton, Sidney Ponson, and Randy Winn under his belt from previous Julys.
Sabean beat out the Cubs and Twins for Schmidt in ’01. To get Ponson in ’03, Sabean dealt with competition from the Braves and traded one of his best prospects in Kurt Ainsworth.
