The White Sox finalized the July 29 trade of All-Star reliever Jesse Crain to Tampa Bay on Wednesday, acquiring left-hander Sean Bierman and infielder Ben Kline and cash from the Rays.
Crain was on the disabled list with a shoulder strain at the time of the trade and did not pitch for the Rays. The return in the deal was based in part on the reliever’s performance.
Crain was in the final year of a three-year deal he signed with the Sox. He was expected to have minor surgery on the shoulder this off-season.
Bierman, 24, was 6-5 with a 2.44 ERA over two starts and 16 relief appearances in Class A this season. Kline hit .246 with no homers in Class A. Kline, 6-3, 200-pounder who turns 25 in December, was named MVP of the Rays Gulf coast League team in 2012 after he hit .347 over 36 games.
