BREAKING NEWS: Maple Leafs, Crawfords Trade Prospects

By KYLE KEOUGH
Double Day AP

The Pittsburgh Crawfords and the Toronto Maple Leafs rang in the new year by swapping promising young prospects late on January first.

Mariano Polanco (.327, 21 RBIs) was a draft pick when the Maple Leafs were known as the White Caps. Last year, while in Low-A, the SS with the big bat was an AL All-Star and Silver Slugger. The former first-round pick shows very good ML potential as both a hitter and a shortstop, and was among Toronto's best young prospects.

In return, the Crawfords give up 22-year-old AAA SP Barry Thompson (3-0, 3.21 ERA). Thompson was an NL All-Star last season while in AA, in which he went 16-5 with a 1.95 ERA. The durable Thompson wields a five-pitch arsenal, exceptional control, and good velocity on his power pitches. He is expected to make an impact on the ML level soon.