Matt Thornton traded to Red Sox

June 23, 2013; Kansas City, MO, USA; Chicago White Sox pitcher Matt Thornton (37) delivers a pitch against the Kansas City Royals during the eighth inning at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports

Relief pitcher Matt Thornton is changing the color of his “sox.”

The veteran reliever was dealt from the Chicago White Sox to the Boston Red Sox Friday evening for a minor league prospect.

Thornton, a left-handed pitcher, was traded for minor league prospect Brandon Jacobs and cash considerations.

Jacobs, a 22-year old outfielder, is currently hitting .247 with 44 RBIs. He’s compiled stats of 25 doubles, 11 home runs and 10 stolen bases in 84 games this season in the minors, including 81 games in Class A Salem. Jacobs played three games in Class AA Portland before the trade.

Jacobs is a career .265 hitter with 47 home runs in the minors. He’s also collected 65 steals in his five minor league seasons, all within the Boston Red Sox organization.

Jacobs was drafted in the 10th round of the ’09 First-Year Player Draft as he came from Parkview High School in Georgia. He made his minor league debut on Aug. 16, 2009 and was a ’11 South Atlantic League All-Star.

As for Thornton, who is currently in his 10th season in the majors, he’s 0-3 this season. The relief pitcher has an ERA of 3.86 in 40 appearances. In those appearances, he’s pitched 28 innings, allowing 25 hits and 14 runs, 12 of which were earned.

Thornton, 37, has a career ERA of 3.53 as he played his first two years with the Seattle Mariners and with the White Sox since the ’06 season. His career win-loss record is 32-41 with 23 career saves, as he’s mostly played the setup role in Chicago.

The left-handed Thornton currently has a WHIP of 1.25 and has struck out 21 batters this season. In his time in Chicago, Thornton is 31-35 with a 3.28 ERA. He’s allowed 169 earned runs in 463.1 innings pitched, adding 486 strikeouts to his White Sox totals, along with 164 holds in 512 games played in a White Sox uniform. He ranks first all-time for the White Sox in relief appearances and holds.

The move to first-place Red Sox adds Thornton to a bullpen which includes Andrew Bailey (3.77 ERA, eight saves, 39 strikeouts, 1.22 WHIP), Junichi Tazawa (3.15 ERA, 45 strikeouts, 1.18 WHIP), Craig Breslow (2.97 ERA, 18 strikeouts, 1.25 WHIP) and closer Koji Uehara (1.79 ERA, eight saves, 58 strikeouts and a WHIP of 0.77).

Also in the Red Sox bullpen are Pedro Beato and Brandon Workman, who have pitched a total of five innings this season.

Thornton’s trade comes as the White Sox are currently in last place in the AL Central with a record of 36-53, while the Red Sox lead the AL East with the most wins in baseball, holding an overall mark of 58-37.