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Potential Suitors For Gordon Beckham

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Rival teams believe the White Sox will listen to offers for Gordon Beckham, according to Yahoo's Tim Brown. Let's take a look around the league to determine which teams could become suitors for the infielder. The 24-year-old has a career .260/.331/.416 line and extensive big league experience at second and third. It seems likely that more than half the teams in baseball would have some interest in the former first rounder, despite the extended slow start he had in 2010. Here's a list of teams with potential interest:

  • Orioles – Josh Bell didn't do much in his 2010 debut, so Beckham could play third and Bell could become trade bait.
  • Blue Jays – The Blue Jays could non-tender Edwin Encarnacion and play Beckham at third. He strikes me as the sort of player the Blue Jays would have serious interest in.
  • Red Sox – The Red Sox could play Beckham at third and let Adrian Beltre walk as a free agent.
  • Indians – The Indians are considering options for third base, but would GM Kenny Williams deal Beckham to a division rival?
  • Tigers – It seems unlikely that the Tigers could pry Beckham from the White Sox, but it's fun to imagine him at second base.
  • Twins – Orlando Hudson will probably sign elsewhere, but the Twins face the same problem the Tigers and Indians do.
  • Royals – The Royals aren't an immediate threat to the White Sox and I bet they'd love to add Beckham to their organization. 
  • A's – The A's could non-tender or trade Kevin Kouzmanoff and play Beckham at third.
  • Angels – The Angels could insert Beckham at third if they don't land Beltre.
  • Marlins – Chris Coghlan will likely play third for Florida next year and Dan Uggla is under team control, but Coghlan could also play in the outfield and Uggla may become a trade candidate.
  • Mets – The Mets would have to create space by trading Luis Castillo.
  • Cardinals – Beckham would be a nice fit at second base.
  • Cubs – The Cubs could have interest in working out a deal with their cross-town rivals and handing Beckham the second base job.
  • Astros – It wouldn't be shocking if the Astros had some interest in Beckham.
  • Dodgers – GM Ned Colletti might like the idea of making Beckham his second baseman.
  • Padres – Beckham would be a great fit for the Padres, since he's cheap and David Eckstein is a free agent.
  • Giants – Pablo Sandoval is falling out of favor in San Francisco.
  • D'Backs – Beckham does strike out a fair amount, but he could be a consideration if the D'Backs move Mark Reynolds.
  • Rockies – If the Rockies non-tender Clint Barmes, they could have interest in Beckham.

The Yankees (Alex Rodriguez, Robinson Cano), Rays (Evan Longoria, Sean Rodriguez, Ben Zobrist), Mariners (Chone Figgins, Dustin Ackley), Rangers (Michael Young, Ian Kinsler), Braves (Chipper Jones, Martin Prado, Omar Infante), Phillies (Placido Polanco, Chase Utley), Nationals (Ryan Zimmerman, Danny Espinosa), Reds (Scott Rolen, Brandon Phillips), Brewers (Casey McGehee, Rickie Weeks) and Pirates (Pedro Alvarez, Neil Walker) have long-term options at third and second. Beckham's promise, affordability and versatility would likely make him one of the most highly coveted players on the trade market if the White Sox do make him available.

Odds & Ends: Messenger, Martin, LaRoche, Branyan

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Some links for Veterans Day…

  • MLBTR echoes commissioner Bud Selig's thoughts on the death of a legendary Mariners broadcaster: “All of Baseball is terribly saddened … by the tragic news that Dave Niehaus, the voice of the Seattle Mariners, has passed away."
  • Randy Messenger has agreed to a deal with the Hanshin Tigers, according to Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker. The five-year MLB veteran pitched for the Mariners in 2009.
  • Three former White Sox employees were indicted on federal fraud charges yesterday, according to Melissa Segura of SI.com. They allegedly accepted $400K worth of signing bonuses intended for Latin American prospects.
  • Russell Martin's agent repeated to Dylan Hernandez of the LA Times that the catcher wants to play for the Dodgers in 2011. There's been extensive speculation that the Dodgers could non-tender or trade Martin.
  • Pirates GM Neal Huntington told MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch that Andy LaRoche has to prove his worth to the Pirates, who are attempting to determine the best way to maximize the 27-year-old's value.
  • Russell Branyan has left Dan Lozano and is now represented by ACES, according to ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick (on Twitter).

Rosenthal On A’s, Westbrook, Uribe, Soriano

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You’ve heard by now that the A’s acquired David DeJesus, but he was far from the only bat they considered trading for. GM Billy Beane was after Josh Willingham and considered making a deal for Dan Uggla, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. The A’s probably aren’t done adding offense. Beane told Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle that he’d still like to make an upgrade or two (Twitter link). Here are the rest of Rosenthal’s rumors.

  • The Red Sox aren’t likely to offer Adrian Beltre a five-year deal.
  • The Cardinals are still in contact with Jake Westbrook, but they would prefer to reach a two-year deal and Westbrook might be able to get three years from another club, so talks appear to be losing momentum.
  • Orlando Cabrera and Juan Uribe are already drawing more interest than they did at this time last year, according to Rosenthal.
  • The White Sox are checking in on Rafael Soriano and, as Rosenthal points out, that’s yet another sign that they’re open to trading or non-tendering Bobby Jenks.

Brown On Red Sox, Reynolds, Beckham

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Agent Scott Boras tells Yahoo’s Tim Brown that the changes to the offseason schedule mean he’s fielding offers for his clients earlier than usual. Here are the rest of Brown’s rumors:

  • The Astros appear to be close to re-signing Geoff Blum.
  • The Red Sox will determine how available Adrian Gonzalez and Prince Fielder are before they start serious negotiations with top free agents. It sounds like the Padres and Brewers will at least listen to offers for their respective first basemen.
  • The D’Backs are “shopping” Mark Reynolds and looking for relievers and contact hitters.
  • Rival teams believe the White Sox will listen to offers for Gordon Beckham.
  • Gary Matthews Jr. hopes to continue playing, according to Brown.

 

Odds & Ends: Beltre, Crawford, Mets, Konerko

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Links for Tuesday night, as free agents Adam Dunn and Dave Bush celebrate birthdays…

Chicago Rumors: Dunn, Fukudome, Rasmus, Quentin

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Let's round up the latest from the Windy City in one post. First up, Paul Sullivan of The Chicago Tribune with the latest on the Cubs…

  • The Cubbies will not go overboard with their free agent spending because they vow to decrease payroll, so GM Jim Hendry needs to get creative to placate the fan base.
  • First base is the team's first priority and they'd like to acquire a lefty bat, so Adam Dunn is a popular target. If they can't afford him, they could turn to Aubrey Huff or Victor Martinez.
  • The Cubs might need to trade Kosuke Fukudome before signing any free agents, which won't be easy since he's owed $13.5MM in 2011. Hendry did find a taker for Milton Bradley last offseason though, so you never know.
  • Starting pitching is also on the team's wishlist. Jon Garland could be one option after hinting at being interested in pitching for the Cubs last offseason.
  • They would also like to add a veteran reliever to take some pressure off their young kids, but it's unclear if Kerry Wood will take a pay cut and assume a lesser role to return to the Cubs.

Now we'll head to the south side with Mark Gonzales of The Chicago Tribune…

  • The White Sox already have $80.4MM committed to just 13 players for next season, and that doesn't include what is likely to be a sizable arbitration raise for John Danks. That puts them in a bit of bind when it comes to adding a left-handed bat.
  • They don't match up with the Cardinals for Colby Rasmus, who they're said to be targeting, though a trade is probably the route they'll have to go to add a bat.
  • GM Kenny Williams could try to fill several holes by trading one player, which he did when he sent Javier Vazquez to the Braves and Nick Swisher to the Yankees two years ago. He could use one of excess starters, perhaps Edwin Jackson or Gavin Floyd. That last part is just my speculation though.
  • The ChiSox also need to determine whether Carlos Quentin can return to his 2008 level, or if injuries will continue to take a toll.
  • They could look to make trades soon, then examine the pool of non-tenders for affordable relief help.

Five More Potential Free Agents

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SATURDAY, 10:47am: CBSSports.com reports that German, Mathis, and McCarthy all refused the minor league assignments and elected to become free agents. 

FRIDAY, 3:54pm: Two White Sox will soon hit free agency and a trio of Rangers could join them before long. Left-hander Randy Williams and catcher Donny Lucy were outrighted and will soon become free agents, according to MLB.com's Scott Merkin (on Twitter).

Meanwhile, the Rangers outrighted Esteban German, Doug Mathis and Brandon McCarthy off of the 40-man roster and all three can become free agents, according to MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan. McCarthy was a non-tender candidate, though he's just 27, made 17 useful starts for the Rangers last year and posted a 3.36 ERA at Triple-A in 2010.

White Sox Interested In Extending Danks

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The White Sox are trying to create room in their budget to sign John Danks to a multiyear extension, according to Doug Padilla of ESPNChicago.com. Danks, who will be eligible for free agency after the 2012 season, earned $3.45MM this year in his first season as an arbitration eligible player. The White Sox would like to lock him up through 2013 or, preferably, 2014, according to Padilla’s source.

The 25-year-old logged over 200 innings for the second consecutive season in 2010, pitching to a 3.72 ERA with 6.8 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9. He’s coming off of a strong season and a relatively large salary for a player in his first season of arbitration. Danks would probably earn roughly $5.5MM through arbitration next year, so a three-year extension could fall in the $23MM range and a four-year extension could cost $10MM or so more.

Click here for an in-depth explanation of why teams have interest in locking up young starters like Danks.

Pierzynski Yet To Hear An Offer From White Sox

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In an interview with Jim Bowden on MLB Network Radio today, A.J. Pierzynski said that the White Sox have not made him an offer to return to the club in 2011. (Twitter link)  Pierzynski doesn't specify if the club has made any contact with him at all, and it's worth noting that Chicago still has three days left of exclusive negotiating time for pending free agents.  Given that Pierzynski said he would like to keep playing in Chicago "but they are going to have to want him first," however, it seems unlikely that the Sox have opened negotiations.

Pierzynski went into detail about his criteria for a new team (another Twitter link): in order, his new club must be a contender, be willing to give him a starting job, be located close to his home in Florida and along those same lines must also have their spring training camp in Florida and be a "quick flight home."  He says the Marlins, Padres, Rangers, Rays and Red Sox "would all be good fits."  All of these teams except the Rays were mentioned by MLBTR's Ben Nicholson-Smith in his look at potential suitors for Pierzynski.  All make some sense on Pierzynski's checklist, though the Rangers and Padres are in Arizona for spring training and San Diego is a cross-country flight away from his home.

White Sox Re-Sign Omar Vizquel

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The White Sox re-signed infielder Omar Vizquel to a one-year deal, according to the team's Twitter feed.  The deal is worth $1.75MM, tweets MLB.com's Scott Merkin.

Vizquel, 44 in April, hit .276/.341/.331 in 391 plate appearances for the White Sox this year while earning $1.375MM.  The 14-time Gold Glove winner logged innings at second base, shortstop, and third base.

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