The day you've been awaiting for two years is here, San Francisco Giants fans. The Great Orange Hope to be the franchise's next superstar now enters San Francisco's everyday line-up in the position he has trained for. Yes, Buster Posey took his place as the Giants starting catcher starting July 1.
But that milestone comes with a sentimental price. Previous starting catcher Bengie Molina was traded to the Texas Rangers, Fox Sports reported late Wednesday night, in a move designed to clear the way for Posey.
The Giants received middle reliever Chris Ray and a player to be named later. Maybe LeBron?
Bengie Molina had been something of a fan favorite during his three-year tenure by the Bay. He hit .292 as recently as 2008, capably caught two-time Cy Young winner Timmy Lincecum, and was twice awarded the team's Willie Mac Award.
But Molina is in an 2-for-13 slump, hasn't had an RBI in weeks, and his slow base-running has recently become a national laughingstock.
Posey was gangbusters when the Giants called him up in late May, and is considered one of the great futures of the franchise. He went 6-for-9 and drove in four runs in his first two games in the big leagues this season.
Posey has since simmered down to a more pedestrian .289 batting average, and he's still learning the ropes. But he plays with unusual hustle on defense and can do things like this replay post on MLB.com.
No official announcement yet, but expect Posey to start in this holiday weekend's four-game series against the Colorado Rockies.
Joe Kukura is a freelance writer who sees that this trade didn't change any minds over at Fire-Sabean.com.
