The Toronto Blue Jays have renewed interest in acquiring second baseman Gordon Beckham from the Chicago White Sox this winter, report Scott Merkin and Gregor Chisholm of MLB.com.
MLB trade rumors: Jays interested in acquiring White Sox 2B Gordon Beckham
A deal for Beckham could end up bringing a starting pitcher to Toronto as well.
USA TODAY Sports
More Blue Jays: Jose Bautista, and the little things in life
The 27-year-old has been on Toronto's acquisition radar since at least late 2011. The Jays moved ahead with Kelly Johnson and Emilio Bonifacio at the keystone the last two seasons -- without great results -- so perhaps this is the year they finally decide to pull the trigger on Beckham.
Beckham is under team control through the 2015 season, so he wouldn’t add much in the way of salary to the Blue Jays’ already rather plump payroll for 2014.
Any trade Toronto tries to work out for Beckham may also include one of Chicago's starting pitchers. The White Sox have made it known that Hector Santiago and John Danks are available, per MLB.com, so the Jays could try to kill two birds with one stone and bolster their rotation while upgrading at the keystone.
Beckham is nowhere near the premier player many thought he’d be when he broke on the scene 2009, but he did show signs of improvement this season (when healthy). After two sub-par seasons at the plate, the former top prospect managed to greatly improve his batting average and on-base percentage in 2013, finishing the season with a .267/.322/.372 batting line in 103 games.
Chicago's asking price for Beckham, et al. is expected to be rather high. The club is believed to have its sights set on young right-handers Marcus Stroman and Aaron Sanchez, who are two of Toronto's top pitching prospects.
More from SB Nation MLB:
See More:
