Topic: White Sox, Cubs swap relievers

Team Infidel

Associated Press

NAPLES, Fla. - The Chicago White Sox traded reliever Neal Cotts to the Cubs for reliever David Aardsma and minor league pitcher Carlos Vasquez on Thursday.
Cotts, who had a career year in 2005 while helping the White Sox win the World Series, went 1-2 last season with a 5.17 ERA. He had a career-high 70 relief appearances, but gave up 12 homers after yielding one in the previous season.
Cotts went 4-0 with a 1.94 ERA and won Game 2 of the World Series in 2005.
Aardsma was 3-0 with a 4.08 ERA in 45 relief appearances over four stints for the Cubs last season.
Vasquez, a 23-year-old left-handed pitcher, was signed as a non-drafted free agent by the Cubs in 2000. He was 6-5 with a 2.75 ERA in 54 relief appearances between Single-A Daytona and Double-A West Tenn in 2006.
The trade between the clubs is the first since July 29, 1998 when the White Sox acquired pitcher Jon Garland in exchange for reliever Matt Karchner.

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