About a week ago, I speculated that the White Sox could go after Oakland second baseman Mark Ellis if their in-house options don’t work out. Billy Beane and Kenny Williams have a great relationship. Today, Baseball Prospectus’ John Perrotto says the White Sox reportedly have interest in Ellis.
If the White Sox are pushing all-in for ’08, Ellis makes a lot of sense. The Sox have interesting candidates for second base, but none who could be expected to post a .775 OPS with Gold Glove caliber defense as Ellis can. The 30 year-old will earn $5MM this year before reaching free agency for the first time. The White Sox don’t have much in the farm system, but the two clubs could still work something out. It would have to be a solid return, as Ellis has a decent shot at Type A status after the season.
