The South Siders could look to move their once promising second baseman.
The Chicago White Sox are now willing to move second baseman Gordon Beckham if the "right deal" comes along, according to Fox Sports' Jon Morosi. Morosi also adds that left-handed starter Jose Quintana has been deemed "unavailable" by the club.
Beckham could prove to be a classic "change of scenery" guy. Considered an elite prospect after being selected eighth overall in the 2008 draft out of the University of Georgia, Beckham displayed a substantial amount of promise in a 2009 rookie season that saw him hit .270/.347/.460 with a 109 wRC+, 14 home runs, and 2.5 WAR. However, he has been wildly disappointing since then, never posting a a league average OPS (per OPS+), and topping the 1.0 WAR mark just once. Beckham started off this season on the DL, and hit well upon returning, posting a .756 OPS through mid-June, however, he has hit just .141/.213/.296 over his last 80 plate appearances. Beckham is making $4.175 million this year and is eligible for free agency following next season.
Beckham could be a nice secondary infield option behind the top-tier of guys like Chase Headley, Daniel Murphy, and Ben Zobrist. The Yankees, Giants, and Blue Jays are among the teams that have showed interest in adding an infielder.
The White Sox signed Quintana to a five-year extension that guarantees him at least $21 million just before the season started, so it makes sense that they are unwilling to move him. He has easily been Chicago's second best starter (behind Chris Sale) this season, and a borderline All-Star. In just over 112 innings, the 25-year-old has a 3.20 ERA, 2.88 FIP, 8.01 K/9, 2.56 BB/9, and 3.0 WAR.