What’s the deal with Mark Teahen?

Seriously…

There was no real surprise when he was traded from Chicago to the Jays that it was as a salary dump, as according to Baseball Reference, Teahen makes almost $5 million this year and is then owed $5.5 million next year and has been atrocious this year.

But is anyone else surprised that the Jays are making no effort whatsoever to make Teahen a useful part of the team? That he’s pretty much being paid millions to do absolutely nothing?

Since coming to the Jays, Teahen has had two at bats and has appeared in three games. 

My first thought was that I would prefer the Jays to just release him and I think that would be something they would do if he was a free agent at year’s end. However, having to eat that much money might not be desireable for a franchise, although releasing someone in such a situation wouldn’t be without precedent, if anyone remembers the Jays paying BJ Ryan his muti-million dollar salary just to go home. However, is there any difference between releasing Teahen and keeping him on the roster but not using him at all? Not really.

RIght now Teahen is blocking a roster spot from someone who could really be making good use of it. The Jays essentially are eating the money while getting absolutely no use from the player.

It’s too bad Teahen doesn’t play 2B, as Aaron Hill and his .590 OPS being automatically pencilled into the starting lineup every day is getting pretty intolerable and while Teahen’s OPS this year is actually worse, a little competition to stay in the lineup might just be what Hill needs to get a fire lit under his butt and get going. Not that it matters anyway, as he’s on his way out at the end of this year anyway. Teahen has only played 3 games at 2B in his career.

It’s humourous with how much Brett Lawrie being Canadian is being talked about these days on Jays games, while meanwhile fellow Canadian Teahen is just rotting on the bench in obscurity.  

So really, I am generally curious… What is going to happen to Teahen? I can assume the Jays would trade him if they had any sort of opportunity, but he can’t really have much trade value. Will he be with the Jays next year? Will he ever play? Further, who is going to play 2B next year?