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.