15 or so hours after bolstering their offense with Travis Snider, the Pittsburgh Pirates struck out, trading outfielder Gorkys Hernandez to the Marlins for Gaby Sanchez. The Marlins are also picking up Pittsburgh's competitve balance draft pick in the deal.
The 28-year old Sanchez has been a nightmare for the Marlins this year, OPSing only .556 while losing his job (and major league roster spot) as the team's first baseman first to Logan Morrison, then to Carlos Lee. Sanchez was an All-Star for the Marlins in 2011, OPSing .779 with 19 homers and accruing 3.0 fWAR. Sanchez's presence will likely mean the end of the line in Pittsburgh for Casey McGehee, whose days looked numbered after the Snider trade pushed Garrett Jones to first base on a full-time basis.
The 24-year old Hernandez was Pittsburgh's 20th best prospect coming into the year. He was acquired by the Pirates from Atlanta in the Nate McLouth trade in 2009, and he's looking more and more like a fourth outfielder as his career progresses. He's never hit more than five homers in a year or stolen more than 21 bases, and he's also never hit .300. Pretty much, there's no way he's a starter on a playoff team…he looks more like a bench bat.
Both teams essentially sold low here, but the Marlins get the better overall value I'd say.
UPDATE: The Pirates also get minor league reliever Kyle Kaminska in the deal, reports Peter Gammons. The 24-year old has a 5.11 ERA in 49 1/3 innings for AA Jacksonville, striking out 42, walking nine, and allowing nine homers. Seems like an organizational arm.
