The Blue Jays designated third baseman Mark Teahen for assignment to open a 40-man roster spot for Darren Oliver, announced the team.
The Jays acquired Teahen from the White Sox as part of a salary dump, and they'll be assuming the $5.5MM left on his contract for 2012. The 30-year-old hit .200/.273/.300 in 177 plate appearances last year, playing the infield and outfield corners.
Teahen was a big component of the 2004 trade that sent Carlos Beltran to the Astros. He couldn't sustain a strong partial season in 2006 for the Royals, and was traded to the White Sox in November of '09. A few months later the Sox signed him to a surprising three-year, $14MM extension.
Theo should move on this.
Theo is too smart for a move like this
What smart? There’s no money or risk, right?
for the major league minumum, what’s the risk? he would provide depth at 3B, 2B, 1B, LF and RF. If he sucks you cut him…
I agree. Although I feel like we already have our Mark Teahen. He goes by the name of Blake DeWitt and man does he have a rockin’ beard.
personally, I’d rather trade DeWitt and sign Teahen for a year. switch hitter and maybe a fresh start will help him.
Teahen isn’t a switch hitter
Can’t play 2B either. The Royals tried him there, and he was TERRIBLE.
Teahans had enough fresh starts to show he just isn’t good
we already know he sucks
Then explain Carl Crawford
Don’t you mean Jed Hoyer? When are these people going to realize that Jed Hoyer is the Cub’s GM, not Theo Epstein. Epstein is President of Baseball Operations. I highly doubt Hoyer left his job as San Diego’s GM to be Epstein’s lackey in Chicago.
If Teahen can play 2B or SS, the Rays could swoop in
He can’t really play anywhere on the field. He is a poor defensive player everywhere. And he has played 23 innings at 2B in his career and zero at SS.
I hope someone takes this guy… Please.
In other news, OMG THIS MUST BE A FIELDER PRECURSOR OMGGGGGGGGG!111!!11!!eleven!
Actually, this was an Oliver precursor. It kinda said it in the first line of the article.
sarcasm bro
Didn’t even make sense though. It would only work as sarcasm if designating him for assignment actually created an open spot on the roster to sign anyone (and that’s where the Fielder sarcasm would fit). Right now, there’s still no open spot for the Fielder sarcasm.
You know your value when no one wants to part with even a bucket of balls…
Tomorrow’s headline: “Blue Jays Trade Mark Teahen For Bucket of Balls”
As a Mariner fan, we know what a Bucket of Balls looks like… it goes by the name of Chone Figgins. Teahan’s 190 BA was still better than Figgins’ last year.
That’s an extremely interesting comment. If the mariners eat up Figgin’s contract, they could probably swap. Toronto would like the speed off the bench and Seattle would just like to get rid of Figgins.
spending 9.5 million dollars on pretty much a lefty Reliever (5.5 +4 million) and you guys called Rogers cheap??
This has to be the biggest off-season move Jays make this Off-season! Rejoice Blue Jays fan!! Woohoo
I feel bad for him, he’s such a class act and nice guy. Should be a good bench player.
Feel bad for a guy who will be raking in 5.5 million dollars? he’ll get a minimum contract somewhere for a bench role too..
Did the White Sox hold a gun to his head to get him to sign that contract? How would you like to be promoted into a position at work that you were not qualified for?
Kevin Chambers is right. Mark is a top-flight person. I think there is evidence that he was badly coached, trying to turn a George Brett type of hitter (high average, lots of doubles) into a home run hitter. The damage started with Oakland in the minors and ironically, didn’t get rectified in KC.
“Did the White Sox hold a gun to his head to get him to sign that contract?”
No…which is why nobody should feel sorry for him. Contracts are a two-way street.
If he’s DFA? I thought he’d be traded or withdrawn if someone put in a claim for him.
Two things:
1. Once DFA’ed, a player is put on waivers, but the type of waivers in use over the offseason aren’t the type that you’re thinking of(revocable waivers, where if a player is claimed, the team can pull them back). During the offseason, the rules in place allow for only irrevocable waiver claims(player can’t be taken back once claimed).
2. Even if there were revocable waivers, why on Earth would the Jays pull Mark Teahan back if another team claimed him and his guaranteed $5.5 million for 2012? I’m sure they’d much rather have some other team take that on than to have Teahan clear waivers, be released, and for them to owe him the full amount. 🙂
Astros could use a guy at 3b to pretend to be a run producer.
I hope someone takes him because he is not very good
nice
Yanks could take a look at him as a replacement for Eric Chavez, backup on the corners. His ability to play the OF corners is a plus.
Was thinking the exact same thing, provided he gets outright released and the Yanks don’t have to take on $5.5 mil. Apparently the Steinbrenners are budget-conscious now.
addition by subtraction
A better choice for the Yankees as opposed to Chavez?
I’d like to see Teahan as the backup RH right fielder and #G in Boston. He is better than McDonald and would maybe save a roster spot. Has a good arm also as recall.
I’d like to see Teahan as the backup RH right fielder and #G in Boston. He is better than McDonald and would maybe save a roster spot. Has a good arm also as recall.
I hope Mark finds a good situation for himself. He is a super nice guy. He just never learned how to take the uppercut out of his swing. I see him maybe landing back with the A’s on a split contract.
For anyone out there who thinks that the jays are not spending money, remember that the day the jays got Teahen in the Rasmus deal they knew (more than likely) that they would be eating this contract.
so they are spending money, just not on fat guys who want 10 year deals at 25 mil per year…….. at least not yet.
Every team from the Royals to the Yankees spends money. The greater context is looking at the total team spend against the average MLB team spend, the average divisional spend, the necessity of spending, etc.
At present there is zero evidence that AA has a “flexible” payroll. Combined payroll and draft spending put the Jays pretty much in the bottom half of all MLB teams during AA’s tenure. We can speculate that it’s AA’s choice, or that spending will stretch as the Jays become more competitive, but either way it is the ‘Rogers are cheap’ crowd who have the evidence in their favour at present.
How so? The club is still rebuilding. I don’t think there’s any evidence either way until after this season is over and hopefully some questions have been answered on a bunch of positions.
How so? Because the club is in the lower-middle of the pack when it comes to overall spending. Balance that against Rogers’ worth. Rebuilding is all well and good, but the Jays are fixed at a good number of positions, Bautista isn’t getting any younger, and we now have AA talking of ‘payroll parameters’.
I don’t know whether Rogers will increase the money AA has to spend. I hope they do. But for now, there’s no justification for bashing those who say that Rogers are cheap.
So because Rogers is worth a lot of money they should be spending more money? In what reality does that make sense? Let them get a decent team together first. Next off season will be the test, by then things should be much more certain and roles needed on the club should be much more defined. If next off season they don’t go after players who can fill holes my tune will change, but, for now it’s still way too early.
He probably ends up playing 3B in Las Vegas for the season and gets called up as an injury replacement. This year’s Chris Woodward. Much better. But, much much much more expensive. I could add some more “much”s in front of more expensive. But, then I won’t be able to afford my internet bill for this month.
Nope, AA said he will try to trade him (admitted unlikely) and if not, he will be released.
So there’s that.
Your scenario makes a lot of sense and we should not be surprised if it happens.. But, I believe my suggestion will more likely happen.
I think he has the right to refuse a minor league assignment.
It was an amicable split, Teahen tweeted a nice goodbye toronto message on his twitter and AA has said that he will try to trade him, that trading him was unlikely, and that he would be released otherwise.
I’ll take the man for his word on this one.
It was only a matter of time before this was gonna happen. Being sqeezed off the roster was inevitable.
I think Teahen will be headed back to KC, he’s exactly what they need, and between him and Betancourt they cover every position except catcher, granted neither of them are good defenders hence the back-up role but both can hit at times and that gives you a left handed bat and a right handed bat off the bench late in games. By the way, Mark loves KC has charities here, may still live here. I see it as a win win. And the notion that a team should have back ups that are + everything is ridiculous so please don’t go off cause the guy does not hit like Williams (Ted) or defend like a young Vizquel (Omar) he is decent enough for the bench.
Out with Teahen, in with Oliver. Another incremental improvement.
Remember when he was actually kinda good?