Freddy Sanchez and Jack Wilson, who make up the middle-infield tandem with the most (and the most nifty) double plays in baseball, have both rejected contract extensions from the Pittsburgh Pirates with no intention to make a counter offer.
Before you go calling either of them greedy, consider this: both offers constitute major pay cuts.
Sanchez and Wilson are each set to collect $8.4 million next season; Sanchez if he compiles more than 600 at bats, and Wilson if the team simply opts to keep him another year. The Pirates offered Sanchez $10 million over the next two seasons, just $1.6 million more than he could have made in 2010. They offered his buddy at shortstop just $8 million over the next two seasons—that's $400,000 less than he would have made next season.
Translation: the Pirates will trade Sanchez and Wilson and fast.
Frankly, I don't see the Cubs acquiring Wilson, who has struggled too much offensively to add much value to this Cubs team. But Sanchez combines the defensive prowess of Andres Blanco with an offensive consistency of . . . well, none of the current Cub second basemen.
Considering the Pirates have been willing to deal top players for anything on the McDonald's dollar menu, I'd be shocked if the Cubs didn't at least explore a deal. My estimate: expect to see Freddy Sanchez in Cubbie Blue in the next seven days.
