Comments on: Traded: Mark Teahen for Chris Getz, Josh Fields

By: Pretty Toney

Pretty Toney — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 21:26:01 +0000

Yes I read that Beckham will be moving to 2B with Teahen playing 3B (his natural position). I like this move for the White Sox. They needed to improve their team defensively and getting Teahen to play the hot corner is a good move, and they didn’t give up much of anything to get him.

What does the brain trust at Fangraphs think about Beckham moving forward, as a 2B fantasy option?

By: JD

JD — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 18:25:10 +0000

Wow, so much for this, huh? Williams said on the conference call today that Beckham is moving to second.

By: Mike

Mike — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:16:23 +0000

Ramirez and Beckham ARE NOT moving. There’s nothing wrong with Ramirez’s defense. In fact, Ozzie Guillen believes he can win a Gold Glove; his error total was mostly a result of botching easy plays because he got lazy on the throws. Beckham, meanwhile, became an adequate third baseman by season’s end, and should only continue to improve. The last thing the Sox want to do is cut off both players just as they’re getting comfortable at their positions.

As far as the trade goes, if it’s true, I’m not excited about it. As AL Central opponents, we’ve seen what Teahen can do… he just hasn’t done it consistently. I knew Fields was getting traded, since there’s no more room for him. I just don’t understand why Williams would trade Getz, a player important to the speed of the lineup, over Nix, who is fast but not that fast. The Sox don’t need another low-average power bat. They need OBP and SB.

By: Choo

Choo — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 21:36:17 +0000

Purely speculative, but the acquisition of Teahen gives them a couple of options. I originally believed the Getz/Fields trade signified regular duty at 2B for Nix and at least one more season of Beckham at 3B and Alexei at SS with Teahen playing the super utility role. However, it could also mean they will experiment with Alexei in the OF and move Gordon back to his natural SS position. In this scenario, Teahen would be a fallback option at 3B if they fail to sign Chone Figgins, who Kenny Williams adores, or Adrian Beltre.

Either way, I don’t think 2B is an option for Alexei barring a complete face plant from Nix in the spring.

As for the Royals, they could start Getz at 2B, shift Callaspo to 3B and demote Gordon to one of the OF corners. Gordon’s range at 3B is poor and I’m guessing hip surgery won’t improve his lateral burst. Fields is sort of a reclamation project, but he could contribute immediately as a DH if he finds his stroke this spring. He can’t be any worse than Mike Jacobs.

By: JK

JK — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:00:32 +0000

ESPN also notes that it may be to replace Dye. Not that I’m saying that is right, but this article just assumes he’s moving to third and shifting everyone over, when the reports seem to indicate otherwise. The article should have at least noted that Teahan is claimed to be replacing Dye.

I think Jayson Nix is probably a better player than Getz anyway, so maybe they’ll just start Nix instead.

By: R M

R M — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:42:24 +0000

I always heard that Callaspo had the chance to develop a little power. With 41 doubles, he might even be able to add a few homeruns. a) minor league stats can’t be taken at face value and b) even if you want to just look at stats he has displayed 10+ hr power in the minors several times. Not sure how he exceeded expectations by any means.

By: Tyrone D

Tyrone D — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:33:26 +0000

I think that’s purely speculative at this point, as is assuming that the Sox would give up on Ramirez at SS and Beckham at 3B, moving each one position to the right. Hopefully, there are some more deals on hand from both teams … replacing Dye with Kotsay and Getz with Teahan doesn’t excite me, and the Royals suddenly have 729 second basemen.

By: JK

JK — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 16:26:41 +0000

The trade as reported on the daily news noted that the plan was for Teahan to replace Dye in the outfield, not play the infield.