By Jim Callis
August 25, 2002

Three days after turning a veteran reliever (Tom Gordon) into three minor leaguers, courtesy of a National League Central rival (the Astros), the Cubs were at it again on Sunday. They traded Jeff Fassero to the Cardinals for two prospects to be named after the conclusion of the minor league season.

In the last four years, Fassero's only truly effective season came in 2001, when he shared Chicago's closer duties and went 4-4, 3.42 with 12 saves. The 39-year-old southpaw has been strafed for much of 2002, going 5-6, 6.18 in 57 appearances, and lefthanders are batting .346 against him. Yet the Cardinals need lefthanders in their bullpen, especially after putting Mike Matthews on the disabled list with a strained right hip flexor on Saturday. Fassero throws a fastball, splitter and slider, but his stuff hasn't been as crisp as it was in April 2001, when he threw in the low 90s and earned nine saves. He's in the final season of a two-year, $5.1 million contract—the Cubs will pick up the bulk of the money remaining on his $2.5 million salary for 2002—and will become a free agent at the end of the season. In 12 major league seasons, he has gone 109-101, 3.93 with 22 saves in 543 games.

September 24 update: Chicago got two righthanded relievers from the Cardinals, Jared Blasdell and Jason Karnuth. They're very similar, using a slider as their out pitch and backing it up with fastballs with average velocity but better movement.

Blasdell, 23, was a 38th-rounder out of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo in 2001 and has a 1.34 ERA in two years as a pro. At low Class A Peoria this year, he went 6-2, 1.37 with 23 saves in 52 appearances. His secondary numbers were outstanding: a 79-14 strikeout-walk ratio in 66 innings, a .155 opponent average, just one homer allowed. Blasdell pitched a 1-2-3 ninth to save the clinching game of the Midwest League championship.

Karnuth, 26, was a 1997 eight-round pick from Illinois State. He went 3-4, 3.60 in 58 games at Double-A New Haven this year, striking out 46 in 70 innings, and made a two-game cameo at Triple-A Memphis.