Via MLB Trade Rumors, Yahoo! Sports' Tim Brown reports that teams believe the Chicago White Sox will listen to offers for second baseman Gordon Beckham. The Colorado Rockies should be one of those teams discussing Beckham with the White Sox. The second base position for the Rockies is unsettled going into the 2011 season. Clint Barmes was the second baseman for most of 2010 but later lost it to Eric Young Jr., and Jonathan Herrera also played the position for over 50 games.
Clint Barmes is likely to be non-tendered, no surprise as that was hinted at during the season. Eric Young offers great speed in the lineup and possibly versatility on defense (we shouldn't want him playing the outfield) and should be the front-runner for the position in Spring Training if the Rockies don't add help from the free agent market. Johnny Herrera offers a below average bat, but a good glove that can play second and third. Chris Nelson is a bit of a wild card, which means we need more than 17 games to determine what he can actually do on the field. Nelson does have that steal of home to his name.
But Gordon Beckham could prove to be a better option than all the others. Beckham finished fifth in American League Rookie of the Year voting in 2009 and then experienced a sophomore slump in 2010. Well, sort of. His first half was horrible (.216/.277/.304), but he also had a .255 BABIP (batting average on balls in play). So part of his first half came as a result of bad luck. But his second half was outstanding, hitting .310/.380/.497 with six homers. However, he missed the last couple of weeks in September due to a wrist injury that he recently called "achy."
Even with an injured wrist, the Rockies would get a young (24) infielder who has played both second base (2010) and third base (2009). Beckham would be able to play third on some days in order to have Ian Stewart play first base and have Todd Helton rest.
This would be a move in the best interest of the Rockies, but it also depends on what the team would need to give up. Let's see what the market for Beckham turns out to be.