Sox sign Beckham, De Aza to one-year deals
The White Sox won’t be taking any players to salary arbitration after agreeing to one-year contracts with second baseman Gordon Beckham ($2.925 million) and outfielder Alejandro De Aza ($2.075 million) on Friday.
“Excited that arbitration is out of the way,” Beckham tweeted early Friday afternoon. “I love playing for (the White Sox) and can’t wait to build on my progress from last year.”
When the White Sox drafted Beckham out of Georgia with the No. 8 overall pick in 2008, he was supposed to eventually become an all-star player and face of the franchise.
Beckham initially looked like a great pick when he joined the Sox in 2009 and batted .270 with 14 home runs and 63 RBI in 103 games.
In 2010, however, Beckham slipped to .252 with 9 HRs and 49 RBI. In 2011, he batted .230 with 10 HRs and 44 RBI.
Last season, Beckham batted .234 with 16 HRs and 60 RBI.
While the natural shortstop has developed into a Gold Glove caliber second baseman and put together some impressive offensive stretches, the 26-year-old Beckham has yet to transform into the offensive force he was projected to be.
De Aza performed well out of the leadoff spot last season, batting .281 with a .349 on-base percentage, 81 runs scored and 26 stolen bases.
Dogged by injuries throughout his career, De Aza was slowed by back and rib ailments late last season.