It was only a matter of time before the deals started to fly with the Trade Deadline set for July 31st. I usually avoid the rumors, they tend to change like every 13 minutes, but today we've actually got a deal that we can discuss. Here are the parameters.
White Sox Receive: Jason Frasor and Zach Stewart
Blue Jays Receive: Edwin Jackson and Mark Teahen
That's what we know for certain. However, there's a twist. It looks like this deal is a precursor to another move. Here is that proposed deal.
Cardinals Receive: Edwin Jackson, Octavio Dotel, Mark Rzepcynski and Corey Patterson
Blue Jays Receive: Colby Rasmus, Trevor Miller, Brian Tallet, P.J. Walters
I know, my brain hurts too. Here are some of my thoughts on the key players involved in the deals.
Colby RasmusA five tool talent prone to mental lapses and selfish/destructive behavior, the dude is just 24 years old and just a year removed from a .276-23-66-85-12 campaign. He can't hit lefties (.228 in 303 at-bats in his career), is prone to massive slumps (he's hit .201 over his last 42 games), and he strikes out too much (more than a fifth of his at-bats), but there is no disputing the talent – and he's still just 24 years
Edwin JacksonA nice arm no doubt, but he's always been inconsistent. On the year his K/BB ratio of 2.49 would be a career best, but he still sports a 3.92 ERA, has a high WHIP at 1.42, and is a roller coaster ride. He'll move to the NL which should help at least a bit, making him a solid add in mixed leagues. He'll be a free agent at the end of the year, so he has something to pitch for.
Octavio DotelHe can still fling it, he has better than a K per inning this year, and he's even done a solid job limiting the walks with a 3.68 per nine mark which would be a four year low. He's also locked in right now with a 2.40 ERA over his last 19 appearances.
Jason FrasorThis righty really has better stuff than he's given credit for. He doesn't have one outstanding skill, but he usually throws strikes, doesn't kill you in the ratio categories (2.98 ERA, 1.25 WHIP), and generally does a good job keeping the ball in the yard (0.76 HR/9 for his career).
Corey PattersonFleet of foot, Patterson always seems to have a stretch where he flat out kills it, but in the end the numbers never seem to get to where you look at them with excitement (i.e. his slash line is .252/.287/.379). Really, a .287 OBP? The six homers, 44 runs and 13 steals make him a solid league specific add, but he simply isn't a very good hitter.
Mark RzepcynskiRumpelstiltskin has a nice arm. He get Ks, he has an 8.22 K/9 mark in the bigs, and he gets grounders like no ones business (54.4 percent). He may never pan out as a starter, but he could have a long and successful career with his skill set coming out of the pen.
Zach StewartA 3rd round pick in 2008, Stewart might end up doing the old starter in the minors, reliever in the majors thing. Also like Mark R., Stewart has a nice ground ball arm, though his K-rate has dipped a bit the two years (about seven per nine the past two years in Double-A).
Mark TeahenReally? I'll say this, he is a great follow on Twitter (@ESPY_TEAHEN)