Trading Teahen saves Sox, but Jackson gone at a cost
BY DARYL VAN SCHOUWEN dvanschouwen@suntimes.com July 27, 2011 10:38PM
Zach Stewart
THE ZACH STEWART FILE
Born: Sept. 28, 1986, in Wichita Falls, Texas
Height: 6-2 Weight: 205
Throws: Right
College: Texas Tech
Drafted: By Reds in third round in 2008
Career statistics: 0-1, 4.86, 10 SO
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Updated: July 28, 2011 4:42PM
The White Sox shed some payroll and bolstered their bullpen by trading starting pitcher Edwin Jackson and third baseman Mark Teahen to the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday for pitchers Jason Frasor and Zach Stewart.
The Jays then traded Jackson to the St. Louis Cardinals in an eight-player deal that brought center fielder Colby Rasmus to Toronto.
The Sox’ moves do not signal the start of a selling-off process before the non-waiver trade deadline, although they save the team about $9.5 million in payroll through 2012. The trade puts the Sox back into a five-rotation, and it gets the last year-and-a-half of Teahen’s three-year, $14 million contract off the books.
Looking to ‘‘make a dent’’ in the Sox’ all-time-high $127 million payroll, general manager Ken Williams no doubt was delighted to let the Blue Jays assume all of Teahen’s contract, which runs through 2012. The big loss is Jackson (7-7, 3.92 ERA), who is coming off two strong starts since the All-Star break. But Jackson becomes a free agent after the season, and with six starters in the Sox’ rotation, he was considered expendable.
“We needed to make a little bit of a dent in our payroll here, which has been stressed a little bit,’’ Williams said. ‘‘We did not want to be making a move that would be counterproductive to the opportunity for us to win still.’’
Williams said the Sox will absorb the loss of a starter by ‘‘shortening the game by having another guy in the bullpen, which also helps protect our other right-handers, Sergio Santos and Jesse Crain, in particular,’’ from overuse.
Williams and manager Ozzie Guillen don’t want to lean on Crain too much.
‘‘Not that he is being overused, but the potential is there when you get into August and September, you tax a guy, he becomes ineffective, and you might end up hurting him,’’ Williams said.
Frasor, 33, who is from Oak Forest and Southern Illinois University, was 2-1 with a 2.98 ERA in 44 appearances for the Blue Jays. He is 24-28 with a 3.69 ERA in 455 appearances over eight seasons. Frasor, who will join the team when the Sox open a three-game home series with the Boston Red Sox on Friday, has a $3.75 million club option for next season.
‘‘This kid is one of the best out there,’’ Guillen said.
Stewart, 24, who will be optioned to Class AAA Charlotte, was 0-1 with a 4.86 ERA in his first three major-league starts. He made his debut June 16. Before that, he was 5-5 with a 4.20 ERA in 16 starts with Class AA New Hampshire.
THE JASON FRASOR FILE
Born: Aug. 9, 1977,
in Chicago
Height: 5-9 Weight: 180
Throws: Right
High School: Oak Forest
College: Southern Illinois
Drafted: By Tigers in 33rd round in 1999
Career statistics:
24-28, 3.96, 71 holds, 36 S
