Good Bye LaTroy.

[aTrUeCUBsFaN]

05/28/2005 12:39 PM ET
Cubs acquire Williams, Aardsma

The Chicago Cubs today acquired right-handed pitchers Jerome Williams and David Aardsma from San Francisco in exchange for right-handed pitcher LaTroy Hawkins and cash considerations.

Williams, 23, has seen action with both the Giants and their Triple-A affiliate this season, working in nine games (eight starts). He spent all of last season on San Francisco's big league roster, going 10-7 with a 4.24 ERA. As such, he was the Giants' youngest pitcher to win 10 games in a single season since 1975.

He has worked 6.0 or more innings in 29 of his 46 career starts, going 17-3 in those contests. In addition, he has surrendered 3 or fewer runs in 34 of his starts and has allowed just 95 walks and 26 homers in 276.1 innings as a starter.

Williams, a native of Honolulu, Hawaii, was a Giants' sandwich pick in the 1999 First-Year Player draft and the 39th overall selection.

Aardsma, 23, is in his third professional season and has gone 13-7 with a 2.86 ERA in 71 minor league contests. He made his major league debut last year after spending just 10 months in the Giants' organization - going 1-0 in 11 relief appearances.

In nine games (eight starts) at Norwich (AA), the Denver, Colorado, native has gone 6-2 with a 2.93 ERA. He has struck out 30 batters and issued just 13 walks and 44 hits in 46.0 innings of work.

Aardsma was a first round draft pick in 2003 (22nd overall) out of Rice University - and helped lead the school to the 2003 National Championship.

Hawkins, who signed as a free agent with the Cubs prior to the 2004 season, has seen action in 98 games as a Cub, going 6-8 with a 2.76 ERA.

[aTrUeCUBsFaN]

Sounds like a good trade. Well, any trade to get LaTroy out of the town sounds good to me.

[awefullspellare]

I wish he could had mroe time here as a set up man because I think he would have worked but I won't miss him too much. Jerome is a solid prospect and could contribute this year and the other guy is a solid prospect as well.

[Kingdom]

They should make Aardsma go back to being a closer.

[awefullspellare]

I wouldn't mind seeing that. We need to find someone to close in the future, and while I think Dempster may be that guy for a while, if we can get a top closing prospect it would be great.

[aTrUeCUBsFaN]

We could probably groom one of our top pitching prospect to become a closer. It seems like we will not have enough spots in the rotation in AA, and most of the pitchers are good, are promising, so just change one's role.