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Viciedo conspiracy theory debunked

A conspiracy theory of sorts has the White Sox intentionally leaving top prospect Dayan Viciedo at Class AAA Charlotte until some unnamed date this week to ensure he won’t eclipse a full year of service time.

That, in turn, would allow the Sox to delay Viciedo’s free agency by a year.

One source scoffed at the logic, considering Viciedo accumulated only 83 days of major-league service last season and couldn’t become a free agent until amassing the required six years.

That is a long, long ways off.

“There is no magic date next week,” the source said Saturday. “I have seen some of the speculation out there, but a lot of it is based upon not having a full understanding of the rules.”

Viciedo signed a four-year, $10 million contract with the White Sox before the 2009 season, and $4 million of the total was a bonus.

Had Viciedo played enough to qualify for salary arbitration by the end of the current season — which he hasn’t — the 22-year-old right fielder could have voided the final year (2012) of his deal, giving the Sox the option of triggering a $3.5 million option.

Instead, Viciedo is just like any other budding major-leaguer, except he has a bigger bankroll.

“A lot of misinformation,” the source said. “He is not a free agent until he gets six years of major-league service like anyone else.”

It was an interesting theory on Viciedo, considering he dropped original agent Jamie Torres in the spring of 2010 and signed on with the dreaded Scott Boras.

But with a payroll over $125 million this season, it would be ludicrous to think the White Sox would decline to add a big bat like Viciedo for financial concerns in the distant future.

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