The Pittsburgh Pirates have made another move, after trading shortstop Jack Wilson and pitcher Ian Snell to the Seattle Mariners earlier in the day. This time, the Pirates have traded three-time National League All-Star and 2006 batting champion Freddy Sanchez to the San Francisco Giants for yet another minor league prospect. That prospect is right-hander Tim Alderson.

This move should complete a total makeover for the Pirates, whose focus has been rebuilding their farm system. The Pirates have all but given up on the 2009 season by offloading all of their main talent. They also traded star outfielder Jason Bay to the Boston Red Sox last year at the trade deadline. While this probably won’t sit well with the Pirates fans, if there are even that many left, it sets up a future for the organization. The newest piece to that future is Tim Alderson. Alderson has a 6-1 record with a 3.47 ERA and 46 strikeouts in 13 games at the AA level. The Pirates management is hoping to put together a team for the future to compete in the National League Central Division.

The Giants, on the other hand, have picked up a solid player in Freddy Sanchez. Sanchez is mainly used as a second baseman, but can play the entire infield if needed. He is not a power hitter, hitting only 6 home runs and 34 RBI’s so far this year, but he hits for average and gets on base. He is currently batting .296 with a .334 OBP, which are right around his career numbers of .300 and .306 respectively.

This is yet another move during a busy trade season with the deadline just under 48 hours away. The Pirates have been busy rebuilding and other teams have been able to address their needs by picking up their players. Other teams are also making some key moves, like the Philadelphia Phillies picking up pitcher Cliff Lee from the Cleveland Indians today. All eyes are still on the Roy Halladay front, waiting to see where the star pitcher will end up by the deadline this Friday. You can count the Pirates out, because they would just trade him away like the rest of their talent.