Fields traded from White Sox to Royals

By RICK GANO Associated Press - 11/7/2009


CHICAGO — Mark Teahen has a new team and a new city. Happily for him, he's got his old position back.

The Kansas City Royals sent Teahen to the White Sox on Friday and Chicago will find a home for him at third base.

"That's really my comfort position," Teahen said. "It's huge. The past three years I haven't known where I'm going to play and the past 24 hours I haven't know what city I'm going to play in."

The Royals got Chris Getz and former Oklahoma State star Josh Fields from the White Sox in exchange.

"I'm looking at it as a fresh start," Fields told the Kansas City Star. "I've played against the Royals for a while. So they know what I can and can't do."

Teahen was established at third base in Kansas City, but three years ago the Royals called up Alex Gordon, who'd been the No. 2 overall draft pick two years earlier.

Thus began a trip around the diamond for Teahen and he never really settled in at any position.

Teahen batted .271 with a 12 home runs and 50 RBIs in 144 games with the Royals in 2009, battling a sore back in the final month of the season. He made 99 starts at third base, 31 in right field and three at second base.

Chicago general manager Ken Williams said Teahen would be the White Sox's starting third baseman and last year's rookie star, Gordon Beckham, would be switched from third to second. Williams said Beckham, who was a star shortstop at the University of Georgia before being a first-round pick in 2008, was OK with the change.

Teahen said he can handle the outfield but prefers to play third base.

Fields appeared in 29 games and batted .222 with seven homers and 30 RBIs last season. Fields show immense promise as a rookie in 2007 when he filled in for injured Joe Crede and hit 23 homers in 100 games.

But his career with the White Sox never took off after that.

And after Beckham was called up, it was clear he had no future with the team.




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