Blue Jays Acquire Jackson, Teahen For Frasor, Stewart
The Blue Jays acquired starter Edwin Jackson and third baseman Mark Teahen from the White Sox for reliever Jason Frasor and starter Zach Stewart, announced the teams. Contrary to an earlier report, no cash will change hands in the deal.
Trades are commonplace for Jackson (pictured), who was dealt for the fifth time in his career. The surprising part is that the Blue Jays, 11 games out in the wild card, acquired the impending free agent. Speculation is that Jackson may be flipped, possibly to the Cardinals in a deal involving Colby Rasmus. Jackson, 27, has a 3.92 ERA, 7.2 K/9, 2.9 BB/9, 0.59 HR/9 and 46.9% groundball rate in 121 2/3 innings this season, making him one of the better starters available. The Scott Boras client will head to free agency after the season most likely as a Type B. He has about $2.9MM remaining on his contract this year.
Teahen is regarded as a salary dump, with almost $7.2MM remaining on his contract through 2012. The 29-year-old is hitting .203/.277/.305 in 130 plate appearances this year, and is another example of Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos taking on a bad contract to get a deal done. It was reported yesterday that White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf wanted to trim payroll. The Sox will save about $9MM over two years, Sox GM Kenny Williams told Gonzales, though that will be less Frasor's option if they pick it up.
Frasor, the Blue Jays' franchise leader in appearances with 455, has a 2.98 ERA, 7.8 K/9, 3.2 BB/9, 0.85 HR/9, and 40.2% groundball rate this year. The 33-year-old Oak Forest, Illinois native has about $1.2MM remaining on his contract this year, plus a $3.75MM club option for 2012. If the option is declined, Frasor will likely be a Type B free agent. He's a fine addition to any team's bullpen, though the Sox already rank third in the AL with a 3.33 relief ERA. The move shouldn't have much effect on Frasor's fantasy value, writes Dan Mennella of CloserNews.
Stewart, 24, ranked 44th among Keith Law's top 100 prospects prior to the season. Stewart, who Law said has number two starter potential, posted a 4.20 ERA, 7.1 K/9, 2.6 BB/9, and 0.6 HR/9 in 94 1/3 innings this year at Double-A.
The deal was first reported by Doug Seyller, with Ken Rosenthal, Jon Paul Morosi, Joel Sherman, Jon Heyman, and Mark Gonzales also contributing.
Photo courtesy of Icon SMI.
Jays Acquire Jackson; Rasmus Involved?
10:44am: Money appears to be the only holdup in a trade that would send Jackson to the Cardinals and Rasmus to the Blue Jays, tweets Rosenthal. An exchange of more than $1MM awaits approval, and of course the Cards will get more than just Jackson for Rasmus.
Jackson and Teahen are going to Toronto, tweets MLB.com's Scott Merkin. Heyman tweets that the two-team deal is done.
10:37am: Jackson is now being told a trade is official, tweets Bob Nightengale of USA Today. He's shaking hands with staffers, tweets Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune from the White Sox clubhouse.
10:30am: The Cardinals continue to talk about Rasmus deals with the Blue Jays and other teams, tweets ESPN's Buster Olney, and the outfielder appears to be "very much available."
10:09am: Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweets that this deal is close but not complete, because the money exchange requires approval and the Jays are trying to spin Jackson to another team. That team may be the Cardinals, based on tweets from Joe Strauss, Jon Heyman, and Sherman. Sherman believes the Cardinals could also get a reliever and Colby Rasmus may be involved, but nothing is official. The Blue Jays have interest in Rasmus, tweets Morosi.
Meanwhile Alejandro De Aza is starting in center field for the White Sox this afternoon, necessitating a 25-man roster move.
9:21am: The White Sox are in serious talks for a deal that would send starter Edwin Jackson and third baseman Mark Teahen to the Blue Jays for reliever Jason Frasor and a prospect, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Rosenthal's colleague Jon Paul Morosi says this deal is close and money could be involved. The rumor was first reported ten hours ago on Twitter by a fellow named Doug Seyller.
The Jays' motivation for renting Jackson for two months and taking on a bad contract in Teahen is unclear. There doesn't appear to be a draft pick angle, as both Jackson and Frasor project as Type Bs. Perhaps Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos is considering flipping Jackson to a contender.
The White Sox were known to be seeking bullpen help, and Frasor has a club option for next year. The Sox could also subtract a reliever, as Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports that they're talking to the Cardinals about Matt Thornton. Maybe Kenny Williams' goal in the Jackson trade is to shed the $9.7MM left on the contracts of the two veterans, though we need to see the quality of the prospect involved. Sox pitchers John Danks and Gavin Floyd are also on the market, according to Rosenthal. The White Sox are currently 4.5 games out in the AL Central with another game against the Tigers tonight.
Eight-Player Deal Sending Rasmus To Jays For Jackson Imminent
12:08pm: The Cardinals will send Rasmus, Trever Miller, Brian Tallet, and P.J. Walters to the Blue Jays for Jackson, Rzepczynski, Dotel, and Corey Patterson, tweets ESPN's Buster Olney. Olney adds that Miller is then expected to be traded to the White Sox.
12:01pm: This trade is not yet official because of the money involved, tweets Danny Knobler of CBS Sports. He says that aspect may need to be reworked before it's approved.
11:35am: A trade of Rasmus to the Blue Jays for Jackson, Dotel, and Rzepczynski is imminent, reports Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. He says an announcement could come early this afternoon.
11:22am: Edwin Jackson is definitely going to be traded by the Blue Jays, tweets SI's Jon Heyman. Heyman heard it's going to be for Cardinals outfielder Colby Rasmus. Rasmus being under team control through 2014 and still highly-regarded, the Cards will require more than just two months of Jackson. The two teams have talked about Marc Rzepczynski and Octavio Dotel, notes Olney, and Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports tweets that the Cards asked about outfielder Eric Thames.
Rasmus is a popular trade target. ESPN's Buster Olney tweets that the Rays offered one of Jeff Niemann, Wade Davis, and Alex Cobb, and the young center fielder is very much available. The Indians have interest as well.
Quick Hits: Rangers, Quentin, Gomes, Bauer
The Red Sox and Rangers rank first and second in the majors, respectively, in runs scored. Yet one night after Michael Cuddyer prevented the Rangers from scoring, another position player, Mitch Maier, shut down the Red Sox. Here's the latest from around MLB…
- The Rangers agreed to sign 11th round pick Connor Sadzeck for an over-slot bonus of $350K, according to Jim Callis of Baseball America (on Twitter). The right-hander tops out at 95 mph and projects as a reliever.
- The Phillies are among the teams scouting Carlos Quentin in case the White Sox decide to move him, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today (on Twitter).
- The Nationals like the fact that they could obtain a draft pick for newly-acquired outfielder Jonny Gomes after the season, Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post reports (on Twitter).
- Arizona GM Kevin Towers told Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic that Trevor Bauer, who signed yesterday, "possibly could" help the bullpen in September (Twitter links). The D'Backs "fully envision" Bauer competing for a rotation spot next spring.
- The D'Backs continue looking for pitching, according to Scott Miller of CBSSports.com (Twitter link).
Red Sox Notes: Jackson, Spilborghs, Iannetta
The Red Sox are unlikely to have to pay much luxury tax this year, so they're willing to add payroll in the right trade, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com (on Twitter). Here's the latest on some players the Red Sox could consider acquiring…
- The Red Sox aren't one of the teams pursuing Edwin Jackson, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (on Twitter).
- The Red Sox are strongly considering Ryan Spilborghs, who earns a base salary of just $1.95MM this year, as a fourth outfielder, according to Heyman. They're impressed by Josh Reddick's performance this year and seem "off" on Carlos Beltran at the moment, Heyman reports (on Twitter).
- Sean McAdam of CSNNE.com confirms that the Red Sox are interested in Spilborghs (Twitter link).
- The Red Sox "passively inquired" on Ubaldo Jimenez (latest rumors here) and Chris Iannetta, according to Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald. Lauber adds that the Red Sox haven't yet expressed interest in Spilborghs.
- The Rockies are among the teams bearing down on Boston's farm system, according to Morosi (on Twitter).
White Sox Want To Trim Payroll
The White Sox are just 3.5 games out of the AL Central lead, so don’t expect another ‘white flag’ trade this summer. But team chairman Jerry Reinsdorf wants to trim payroll, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.
The White Sox went “all-in” last winter and opened the season with a club record $128MM payroll. However, Adam Dunn and others have fallen well short of expectations and GM Kenny Williams said yesterday that he’s considering turning over the roster.
Rosenthal suggests the White Sox could deal Carlos Quentin and Edwin Jackson without compromising the on-field product by calling up Dayan Viciedo and returning to a five-man rotation.
White Sox Could “Turn Over The Entire Roster”
The White Sox were expected to contend for the AL Central crown this year, but right now they're just 49-51 and 4.5 games back of the division lead. That prompted GM Kenny Williams to tell ESPN Chicago that he might "turn over the entire roster" if they don't get back into the race this week.
"On one hand, you can look toward potentially adding (players)," said Williams. "We'd have to add creatively because of the financial situation right now. And on the other hand, maybe this is the most opportune time to turn over the entire roster and get some young, exciting players in here and go that route."
"We don't really know where we stand. To a large degree over the next six days we'll find out."
Williams indicated that he has deals in place if he wants to blow the team up and go into full rebuild mode, but also emphasized that no decision has been made about the club's future yet. The White Sox open a ten-game homestand tonight with three against the Tigers, one of the teams they're chasing in the AL Central.
Edwin Jackson and Matt Thornton have popped up in rumors, and Carlos Quentin could be moved as well. With six starters for five spots and a bullpen full of power arms, Williams will have plenty to dangle in trades for young players. It's tough to see them finding a taker for Adam Dunn, Paul Konerko, or Alex Rios though. All three are signed for at least two more years at big money, and right now Konerko is also the only productive member of the bunch.
Cardinals, White Sox May Be Talking Rasmus
MONDAY: White Sox GM Kenny Williams told Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune that the report was not entirely accurate. "That, as reported, is incorrect," Williams said, without denying its validity outright (Twitter link).
SUNDAY: Despite publicly insisting they don't intend to trade Colby Rasmus, the Cardinals have engaged in discussions with the White Sox about the outfielder, reports Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Strauss says talks between the two teams have "accelerated" within the last few days.
According to Strauss, Edwin Jackson and Matt Thornton are among the players who could interest the Cardinals. The Cards would also be looking for minor league talent from the White Sox, and a third team "may be sought to facilitate a deal."
The Nationals and Rays also remain interested in Rasmus, who has seen a recent decline in his playing time as Jon Jay has taken over as St. Louis's primary center fielder.
Yankees Rumors: Jackson, Prospects, Gio Gonzalez
The latest on the Yankees…
- Though the Yankees think Edwin Jackson is solid, they aren't pursuing him now, according to Jack Curry of the YES Network (on Twitter).
- A rival executive believes the Yankees will add a left-handed reliever via trade, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. Left-handed relief is a weakness of this trade market, though perhaps the Yanks could take on a bad contract like that of Baltimore's Mike Gonzalez.
- Unless a no-doubt number one starter appears on the market, the Yankees have made it clear they won't move prospects Manny Banuelos, Dellin Betances, Jesus Montero, and Austin Romine, tweets Joel Sherman of the New York Post.
- The White Sox are spending a lot of time scouting the farm systems of the Yankees, Red Sox, and Phillies in case Kenny Williams and company decide to sell, tweets Sherman.
- The Yankees would pay big for A's lefty Gio Gonzalez, tweets Sherman, but Oakland still refuses to discuss the southpaw. The 25-year-old ranks eighth in the American League with 124 strikeouts and seventh with a 2.67 ERA, and is not arbitration-eligible until after this season.
AL East Rumors: Farnsworth, Upton, Kuroda
The Rays remain on the fringe of contention, 6.5 games out in the wild card. The other four AL East teams have clear positions: the Yankees and Red Sox are buyers, and the Blue Jays and Orioles are sellers. The latest:
- The Rays are willing to trade closer Kyle Farnsworth, tweets ESPN's Buster Olney. The 35-year-old has a 1.99 ERA, 7.1 K/9, 1.8 BB/9, 0.44 HR/9, and 53.8% groundball rate in 40 2/3 innings this year. He's more than a rental, with a $3.3MM club option for 2012. Joel Peralta might be next in line to close if Farnsworth is dealt, suggests Dan Mennella at CloserNews.
- Trade rumors have "become a comedy to me," Rays center fielder B.J. Upton told Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times. Upton wants to stay in Tampa Bay, though he's heard himself linked to the Giants, Indians, Nationals, and Phillies.
- The Yankees are among the teams pursuing the Dodgers' Hiroki Kuroda, tweets Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The Yanks had a scout at Edwin Jackson's start yesterday in Cleveland, tweets Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports.
- The Orioles' next GM will have his hands full with many team needs this offseason, writes Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun.
- WEEI's Alex Speier looks at the circumstances that led to the Red Sox acquiring catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia from the Rangers last summer.