The Pirates are "pushing hard" to trade All-Star second baseman Freddy Sanchez, according to a National League executive yesterday, but no deal with any team looked imminent as of last night, according to multiple other sources.
San Francisco and Colorado are two teams with which the Pirates have spoken, the source said, but there are as many as four or five more.
The Giants apparently would be willing to move left-handed starter Jonathan Sanchez, currently a reliever. He alone could not complete a deal for Freddy Sanchez, but the Giants' system has plenty of pitching prospects.
The Rockies are harder to figure, as their infield already is set.
Also, the Pirates last night had one of general manager Neal Huntington's special assistants, Marc DelPiano, in Seattle scouting the Mariners and Texas Rangers, according to the Seattle Times. The Mariners have needs up the middle.
The Pirates do not comment on trade discussions.
Sanchez, 31, again is the team's top hitter with a .316 average and last week was selected for his third All-Star Game in four years. That selection meant that he now needs to accumulate 600 plate appearances to trigger an $8 million option for 2010. He has 329 appearances.
Teams are not enthusiastic about taking on Sanchez's potential 2010 salary, the league executive said, but, at the same time, teams would offer less if Sanchez were on the verge of free agency. Sanchez would be a free agent if the option is not exercised, either through his vesting option or by a club option.
The other player in the Pirates' "pushing hard" category, according to the executive, is first baseman Adam LaRoche, but interest is known to be minimal given his $7.05 million salary, pending free agency and .259 average.
The Pirates already are planning to continue discussions beyond Major League Baseball's July 31 trade deadline, aware that some players -- including LaRoche -- could clear waivers necessary to complete a trade in August.
If Sanchez is traded between now and the All-Star Game, Tuesday in St. Louis, he would represent his new team, and the Pirates would not necessarily be granted a replacement. MLB has no stipulation that a team gets to add a player in such an event. MLB could, however, add someone from the Pirates to replace an injured player.
• The Pirates today will promote utilityman Luis Cruz, with an eye toward having a reserve infielder on hand if Sanchez's back continues to keep him out of the lineup. Sanchez is feeling markedly better the past two days, though.
• There was no official word as of late last night, but catcher Ryan Doumit might be done with his rehabilitation stint at Class AAA Indianapolis and ready to rejoin the Pirates. He went 2 for 4 yesterday in Columbus, Ohio -- this after going hitless in his first 20 rehabilitation at-bats -- and caught the entire game. Afterward, Huntington met with Doumit, according to Indianapolis' official Web site, and Doumit did not accompany that team to its next destination.
• Outfielder Lastings Milledge will join Indianapolis tonight after rehabilitating with Bradenton of the Gulf Coast League. He had no issues with the healing of his broken right ring finger, though it remains swollen and "might look like that for a long time," Milledge said.
• Reliever Joel Hanrahan, now with the Pirates, earned a win for Washington yesterday. He was the pitcher of record in a May 5 game suspended by rain with one out in the bottom of the 11th inning. The Nationals won yesterday in that same inning.
First Published: July 10, 2009, 8:00 a.m.