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The rumours have finally come to fruition. Jayson Werth has been dealt, not
surprisingly to the Los Angeles Dodgers. As soon as LA signed Paul DePodesta to
be their general manager, many expected JP Ricciardi to have found another
trading partner.
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The Jays 24 year old was once deemed the outfielder of the future for the Blue
Jays. When he ran out of options, it forced the Jays hand in moving him. Better
to get something for him rather than nothing. That something comes in the form
of Jason Frasor, a right-handed pitching prospect of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
"There's been some trade rumors the last few weeks, to a few different clubs.
With rumors, you don't know what to believe or what's going to happen," Werth
said. "I was definitely surprised, shocked, but I think it's going to be a good
situation for me. I wasn't in a position to really help the club here. I feel
like I'm ready to be an everyday player, and that wasn't going to be the case
here. I think they knew that too, and that's one of the reasons they traded me."
The deal works out perfectly for both clubs. The Dodgers get a power-hitting
outfielder in the form of Werth, while the Jays add yet another pitcher to their
minor league level. Frasor will most likely start the season in Syracuse, though
that is still unknown. He is a versatile arm, in 104 games at the minor league
level, he has started 53 of them. The 26-year-old was originally selected by
Detroit in the 33rd round of the 1999 First-Year Player Draft. He was traded to
LA in September of 2002 as a player to be named later.
Last year was his first full season as a reliever, split between Single-A Vero
Beach and Double-A Jacksonville. Frasor went 2-0 with 23 saves and a 2.51 ERA.
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