Despite a series of high impact moves this offseason, Chicago White general manager Rick Hahn isn't ready to set his opening day roster just yet. On Wednesday, he was back to work, signing free agent second baseman Gordon Beckham to a one-year, $2 million deal.
The somewhat surprising signing comes less than six months after Hahn traded Beckham to the Los Angeles Angels in a post deadline trade. To make room on the 40-man roster, outfielder Dayan Viciedo has been designated for assignment. That decision comes two weeks after Viciedo avoided arbitration with a one-year, $4.4 million deal.
Indeed, that's some notable maneuvering.
In re-signing Beckham, the White Sox at least know what they're getting, which makes him a more comfortable addition than similar free agents still available. Chicago drafted Beckham eighth overall in the 2008 amateur draft and oversaw a relatively quick development. Beckham debuted in the big leagues one year later and spent his first five plus seasons on Chicago's big league roster, hitting .245/.307/.375 in 765 games.
Obviously, those numbers didn't live to the lofty expectations attached to a top 10 pick, but that's not the concern at this point. Hahn needs an infielder who can play multiple positions and be competent against left-handed pitching, and those are roles he feels Beckham can fill. In his early career, Beckham has logged time at second third, third base and even shortstop, so that's a definite plus. Against left-handers, he's hitting .244/.314/.373 across the board. Not quite as encouraging, but consistent with his overall numbers. It's just who Beckham is on the plate, and that's fine for an extra infielder.
As for Beckham's obviously more optimistic take.
We'll see. For now, it's expected that Beckham will split time between second and third base initially, with the possibility to expand his role if Emilio Bonifacio or Conor Gillaspie struggle in more regular roles.
As for Viciedo, the soon-to-be 26-year-old outfielder has been on the trade block all winter, even before Chicago added Melky Cabrera in free agency. So far, Hahn has been unable to gain traction on a deal, but there's an increased sense it could happen now that he's been designated. Fox Sports Paul Morosi sees the Texas Rangers and Seattle Mariners as potential fits, but it's possible both will wait to see if Viciedo is outright released.
If the White Sox do release Viciedo, they'll only be on the hook for one-sixth of his salary, which amounts to $733K. A team could also claim the entirety of Viciedo’s $4.4MM salary on waivers, but that seems unlikely with Viciedo coming off a disappointing .231/.281/.405 line in 2014. Given his downside defensively, he's likely viewed as more of a low-risk, high-reward target who can provide some pop off the bench or as a part-time designated hitter.
Sometimes that's a risk well worth taking though. Just look at the difference-making success J.D. Martinez found with the Detroit Tigers last season,
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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at bigleaguestew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Townie813
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