San Francisco Giants: 2006 MLB trade deadline review

In the days leading up to this year’s MLB trade deadline, we’ll take a look back at San Francisco Giants deadlines past. Next up, the 2006 trade deadline.

After posting their first losing season in nine years during the 2005 season, the San Francisco Giants were looking to quickly right the ship in 2006. They had a 40-39 record entering the month of July, which left them just two games back in the NL West standings.

That was enough for them to make a pair of July trades with an eye on adding some punch to the lineup and some depth to their bullpen.

Here’s a look at their July activity:

July 22, 2006: 1B Shea Hillenbrand, RHP Vinne Chulk acquired from Toronto Blue Jays for RHP Jeremy Accardo

Looking to upgrade from the underperforming duo of Mark Sweeney (291 PA, 83 OPS+) and Lance Niekro (210 PA, 71 OPS+), the Giants acquired two-time All-Star Shea Hillenbrand from the Toronto Blue Jays.

He was hitting .301/.342/.480 with 12 home runs at the time of the trade, but his time in Toronto came to a messy end when he clashed with John Gibbons.

Unfortunately, the change of scenery ended up doing more harm than good. He hit an uninspired .248/.275/.415 with nine home runs in 247 plate appearances following the trade, then departed in free agency during the offseason.

Vinnie Chulk posted a 5.24 ERA in 28 appearances out of the Giants bullpen. However, he was much better the following season with a 3.57 ERA and nine holds in 57 appearances.

Right-hander Jeremy Accardo as the No. 13 prospect in the San Francisco farm system at the start of the 2006 season, according to Baseball America, and he had a 4.91 ERA in 38 appearances at the time of the trade.

He ended up having a productive eight-year career, posting a 4.30 ERA over 262 appearances.

July 28, 2006: LHP Mike Stanton acquired from Washington Nationals for RHP Shairon Martis

Mike Stanton joined the Giants as one of the most battle-tested relievers in MLB history.

The 39-year-old had 53 postseason appearances to his credit at the time of the trade, and he won three World Series rings during his time with the New York Yankees.

Even in the twilight of what would be a 19-year career, Stanton still posted a 3.09 ERA with eight saves and five holds in 26 appearances for the Giants.

Shairon Martis was just 19 years old at the time of the trade and was ranked as the No. 28 prospect in the Giants system at the start of the 2006 season by Baseball America. He made 19 starts with the Washington Nationals between the 2008 and 2009 seasons, posting a 5.33 ERA with nearly as many ways (51) as strikeouts (57) in 106.1 innings.

Summary

Despite being proactive leading up to the deadline, the Giants closed out the month of July with an eight-game losing streak that effectively torpedoed their playoff hopes. After a 15-13 month of August, they went 10-17 to close out the year with a 76-85 record.

Luckily, they didn’t part with any significant prospect talent. In the end, they walked away with a solid bullpen arm in Vinnie Chulk for the next few years.

Check back here in the days and weeks to come for more San Francisco Giants trade deadline reviews, all culminating in what promises to be a busy 2019 deadline.