Pirates 'Not Anxious to Move' Sanchez

If the Pirates trade Freddy Sanchez, would they go unrepresented at the All-Star Game next Tuesday?

It may not be an issue. Contrary to earlier reports, a Pittsburgh source said that while the team is "fielding a lot of calls" on Sanchez, there is "more smoke than fire" and the Bucs are "not anxious to move him."

Pittsburgh, as one of the few established sellers so far, has been active, dealing outfielders Nate McLouth and Nyjer Morgan. And Sanchez's $8 million option for 2010 becomes guaranteed with 600 plate appearances this year (he has 329).

The Giants were one of the teams most frequently linked to Sanchez. After reports began to surface on Thursday that a Sanchez deal was imminent, FanHouse's Jeff Fletcher checked in with a Giants source who said that Sanchez was not on his way to San Francisco.

As for All-Star representation, the 1998 Reds seem an appropriate precedent. Closer Jeff Shaw was Cincinnati's lone representative, but he was dealt the Saturday before the game in Denver (weirdly, his first appearance in a Dodgers uniform was at the All-Star Game).

The Reds escaped being left without an All-Star when Sammy Sosa pulled out of the game two days before with a sore shoulder. That allowed Major League Baseball to name Cincinnati's Bret Boone to the NL squad.

So if Sanchez is traded in the next few days, MLB could used Carlos Beltran's injury, or some other one that crops up, to pick another Pirate. From those remaining.