The Chicago Cubs traded pitcher LaTroy Hawkins and cash to the San Francisco Giants on Saturday in exchange for righthanders Jerome Williams and David Aardsma. Hawkins signed as a free agent with the Cubs prior to the 2004 season and appeared in 98 games for Chicago, compiling a 6-8 mark with a 2.76 ERA and 29 saves. He began the 2005 campaign as the Cubs' set-up man, before being promoted to closer. However, after four blown saves, he was demoted back to a set-up role and then to a middle reliever. The 32-year-old Hawkins spent the first nine years of his career with Minnesota and posted a 44-57 record. He participated in 366 contests for the Twins, including 98 starts, and had an ERA of 5.05 to go along with 44 saves. Williams was the 39th overall selection by the Giants in the 1999 free-agent draft. He had seen action for both San Francisco and its Triple-A affiliate in Fresno. In four games for the Giants this season, including three starts, Williams was 0-2 with a 6.48 ERA. He started 22 contests in 2004 for San Francisco and went 10-7 with a 4.24 earned run average. Williams will likely inherit a spot in the rotation after Mark Prior suffered a non-displaced fracture of his right elbow and could be lost for 6-8 weeks. Aardsma, a first-round pick (22nd overall) of the Giants in 2003, made his major league debut last year for San Francisco after spending only 10 months in the organization. He made 11 appearances and posted a 1-0 record with a 6.75 ERA.