The Giants have traded 36-year old 2B Ray Durham to the Brewers for outfielder Darren Ford and starting pitcher Steve Hammond. Durham played in 87 games for the Giants this season and he was 77 for 263 (.293 avg, .799 OPS) with 43 runs scored, 3 homers, 32 RBIs and 8 stolen bases. The Giants have now officially started a youth movement as Eugenio Velez and Ivan Ochoa will likely split at bats at 2B the rest of the season. 26-year old lefty starting pitcher Steve Hammond was the #23 prospect in the Brewers’ minor league system heading into this season according to Baseball America. He will likely get a chance to pitch with the Giants soon as long as he pitches decent his first few times out in the minors for them. Hammond has started 19 games in AA+AAA ball this season and he is 7-8 with a 4.09 ERA and a 1.32 WHIP. 22-year old righty swinging outfielder Darren Ford was the #21 rated prospect heading into this season according to Baseball America. Ford played in 91 games in A-Ball this season and he was 79 for 343 (.230 avg, .625 OPS) with 57 runs scored, 2 homers, 27 RBIs and 48 stolen bases. This was a nice haul for Durham who the Giants weren’t going to bring back next season anyway.

The Giants have placed righty reliever Keiichi Yabu on the 15-day disabled list with a strained right middle finger. This is a shame for the Giants as Yabu was starting to build up some trade value due to his solid season so far. Yabu has pitched in 40 games (0 starts) for the Giants this season and he is 3-4 with a 3.64 ERA and a 1.38 WHIP. The Giants have recalled 25-year old lefty reliever Geno Espineli from the minors to replace Yabu on the roster and in the bullpen. Espineli has pitched in 34 games (0 starts) in AAA-ball this season and he is 1-1 with 1 save, a 2.06 ERA and a 0.99 WHIP.

20-year old lefty swinging outfielder Wendell Fairley is off to a rough start to his professional career. Fairley was the #8 prospect in the Giants’ farm system coming into this season according to Baseball America’s Prospect Handbook. He has played in only 16 games in Rookie Ball this season and he is 14 for 64 (.219 avg, .547 OPS) with 10 runs scored, 0 homers and 8 RBIs. The Giants took a big chance on Fairley and they will likely bring him along slowly.

25-year old righty swinging shortstop Ivan Ochoa has been ripping the baseball in AAA for the Giants. Ochoa has now played in 83 games in AAA ball this year and he is 92 for 288 (.319 avg, .847 OPS) with 53 runs scored, 6 homers, 32 RBIs and 20 stolen bases. If the Giants decide to release or trade Omar Vizquel then Ochoa will likely get a shot with the Giants.

Many experts thought the Giants were nuts to give Aaron Rowand the big contract that they did over the winter but he’s been making the front office look pretty good. Rowand has played in 82 games for the Giants this season and he’s 90 for 301 (.299 avg, .824 OPS) with 40 runs scored, 8 homers and 46 RBIs. Rowand has been injury prone in the past but it has been because of his all out effort. He still has the fire to hustle all of the time but he’s protecting himself a little more in the field staying clear of sprinting full bore into the fence to make a catch. Still, Rowand is a really good player to build around in the future for the Giants as he’s a good role model for younger players.