Report: Blue Jays interested in Gordon Beckham
The Blue Jays reportedly covet White Sox second baseman Gordon Beckham. (Brace Hemmelgarn/Getty Images)
MLB.com's Gregor Chisholm and Scott Merken report Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos is interested in White Sox second baseman Gordon Beckham, despite a 2013 performance that included career lows in power and games played.
The Jays reportedly have admired Beckham for more than a year and believe his 2013 performance -- .267 with a career-low five homers and 24 RBI in a career-low 103 games -- still could provide an upgrade at second base in 2014.
The Jays and White Sox are likely chalking up Beckham's drop in production to injuries, including a fractured left hamate (wrist) bone, a strained ligament in his left wrist and a strained right quad. He is still considered one of the American League's better defensive second basemen, and he improved his batting average by almost 40 points.
Beckham is eligible for arbitration and is under team control through the 2015 season.
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Last season, Jays second baseman Ryan Goins hit .252 with two home runs, 11 runs, eight RBI and .567 OPS in 119 at-bats in his first year, leading the Jays to consider sending him back to Triple A for more seasoning.
The report also raises the possibility that the Jays could attempt to obtain a White Sox starting pitcher in a deal for Beckham.
It's also possible that the Blue Jays would look to expand any deal involving Beckham to also include a starting pitcher. Chicago's Hector Santiago and John Danks are known to be available, and the Blue Jays have a clear need to upgrade their current starting unit.
