Toronto.BlueJays.MLB.com

By Spencer Fordin / MLB.com

In parts of three seasons with the Jays, Josh Phelps nit .266 with 47 homers and 176 RBIs. (Aaron Harris/AP)

The Blue Jays parted with one of their homegrown talents on Friday, dealing Josh Phelps to Cleveland for a minor-league prospect. Toronto had tried to slip Phelps through waivers, but the Indians made a claim and were able to sway the Jays with a trade offer.

"We had talked to them a lot early in the season, but then it kind of died off. It picked up a little bit before the trading deadline, and today it finished off," said J.P. Ricciardi, Toronto's general manager. "This is just a chance for us to get a good bat, the type of offensive guy we like. We think his power is coming."

The Jays get Eric Crozier, a Triple-A banger who can play first base and both corner outfield slots. Crozier was batting .295 with 20 home runs for the Buffalo Bisons, and he'll report to Syracuse, Toronto's Triple-A affiliate. At 25 years old -- with another birthday a week away -- Crozier is roughly the same age as Phelps.

"He's not that far away. At worst, maybe a half-year at Triple-A," Ricciardi said. "He may be a guy we bring up in September. We don't have a lot of power in our upper levels, so it was helpful to get some.

"We had a couple guys we liked. He was one of them. ... We scouted their club pretty good and felt comfortable with him."

Phelps, meanwhile, takes his heavy lumber to Cleveland, where he'll have to compete for playing time. The Indians already have Ben Broussard and Travis Hafner splitting time at first base and DH.

The competition may not be good for him, in the short run. Phelps started this season as Toronto's full-time DH, but he lost the job after a spotty first half. For the last few weeks, he had been playing almost solely against left-handed pitchers, so the trade was a little bit of a relief.

"It's certainly been tough to get playing time," he said. "I want to play a little bit more than just whenever a lefty decides to show up on our schedule. If I can get over there and get in the lineup, it's a great situation."

Phelps has never known another organization. He was drafted and signed by Toronto, and he slowly worked his way through the organization. He earned MVP honors in the Double-A Eastern League, and he was well on his way to that designation in the International League when Toronto promoted him.

He made the most of his first extended opportunity, hitting 15 homers over the second half of the 2002 season. The last two seasons have been somewhat disappointing, though. In parts of three seasons as a Blue Jay, Phelps put up a .266 average with 47 homers and 176 RBIs. The Indians are betting he can recover his power potential in a new setting.

"In the back of my mind, I knew there was a chance. Everybody hears rumors, but you don't put a lot of stock in them until it happens," said Phelps. "I wouldn't say I was totally shocked. When I got pulled off the field, I was thinking, 'OK, where am I going.' That doesn't happen every day."

Toronto will fill his roster spot with Gabe Gross, a former first-round draft pick. Gross will split time in left field over the next two months. The former NCAA quarterback was batting .294 with nine homers and 54 RBIs for Syracuse.

"I don't think we'll play him every day," said Ricciardi, "But we'll try to get him in there, get his feet wet. That way, he can go into '05 not being in awe of the big leagues."

Spencer Fordin is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

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