The Giants traded one of their brightest prospects (Tim Alderson) to the Pirates last season for Freddy Sanchez. He was banged up the rest of the year but the Giants re-signed him. Now they want him to help kickstart the Giants offense in 2010. Sanchez played in 25 games for the Giants last season and he was 29 for 102 (.284 avg, .619 OPS) with 11 runs scored, 1 homer and 7 RBIs. He played in 111 games overall last season for the Giants and Pirates and he was 134 for 457 (.293 avg, .742 OPS) with 56 runs scored, 7 homers, 41 RBIs and 5 stolen bases. Sanchez played in 110 games at 2B last season and he made 5 errors while showing above average range.

30-year old righty swinging Juan Uribe will be the Giants’ top utilty man this season and he can handle 2B. He played in 38 games at 2B for the Giants last season making only 1 error while showing poor range. I have no reason to think that Uribe can’t increase his range through practice because he is a natural shortstop.

27-year old righty swinging Kevin Frandsen really hustles but that didn’t make up for his poor offensive showing last season. He played in 23 games for the Giants last season and he was 7 for 50 (.140 avg, .384 OPS) with 3 runs scored and 1 RBI. Frandsen only made 1 error in 14 games at 2B last season while showing outstanding range. Look for him to start the year in the minors.

25-year old switch-hitting Emmanuel Burriss came out of last spring training with the starting 2B job but he couldn’t hang onto it because of his bat. He played in 61 games for the Giants last season and he was 48 for 202 (.238 avg, .559 OPS) with 18 runs scored, 13 RBIs and 11 stolen bases. Burriss didn’t play too well on defense either for the Giants last season. He made 7 errors in only 61 games at 2B last season while showing poor range. He, like Frandsen, will be starting the year in the minors.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2B IN 2010: B

The Giants have signed 36-year old righty reliever Guillermo Mota to a minor league deal. Mota pitched in 61 games (0 starts) for the Dodgers last season and he was 3-4 with a 3.44 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP. He has now pitched in 609 games (0 starts) in his major league career and he is 36-39 with 8 saves, a 3.89 ERA and a 1.27 WHIP. This was a good signing for the Giants as Mota will help out in the pen in 2010.

The Giants have signed 30-year old lefty starter/reliever Horacio Ramirez to a minor league deal. Ramirez pitched in 19 games (1 start) for the Royals last season and he was 0-2 with a 5.96 ERA and a 1.68 WHIP. He has now pitched in 157 games (105 starts) in his major league career and he is 39-35 with a 4.64 ERA and a 1.48 WHIP. Not so sure that Ramirez has a lot left but it doesn’t hurt to give him a chance.

The Giants have signed 31-year old righty reliever Byung-Hyun Kim to a minor league deal. He last pitched in the majors in 2007 as he has spent the last couple of years in Korea. Kim has pitched in 394 games (87 starts) in his major league career and he is 54-60 with 86 saves, a 4.42 ERA and a 1.38 WHIP. Kim could make the Giants in 2010 if he is throwing strikes.

The Giants never figured out a role for righty starter/reliever Kelly Downs. He pitched with the Giants from 1986-1992 and he was solid. Downs pitched in 177 games (110 starts) for the Giants and he was 47-38 with 1 save, a 3.64 ERA and a 1.28 WHIP. He threw 11 complete games with the Giants including 6 of them that were shutouts. He only gave up 705 hits in 762 innings while only whiffing 494 batters meaning that he threw strikes and let the defense help him.