Rumor has it this is very intriguing

What an interesting hypothetical: Gordon Beckham for Adrian Gonzalez.

Any rumor is a good rumor as long as you aren't Kenny Williams.

The White Sox' general manager probably would like to spank Jake Peavy for spilling that Williams asked him for a scouting report on Gonzalez.

Anyway, this particular rumor lingered for so long that you have to Google their names to figure out whom they play for now.

Is Beckham already with the Padres? How is Gonzalez fitting in with the White Sox? Or is Beckham still with the Sox and is Gonzalez still with the Padres?

Reliable sources insist nobody has changed uniforms yet. The Blackhawks haven't even looked into either of these guys to be their goalie down the stretch.

These things spread on the Internet like warm butter on toast. Like, according to prominent Web sites the Bears acquired the entire Arizona Cardinals roster Monday.

True is fantastic and false is funtastic, especially in spring training when the stories already have been reduced to whether Ozzie Guillen is tweeting or twitting.

Compared to that, talk of Beckham in a package for Gonzalez is intriguing.

So, would you make that trade?

Questions like that are why Williams always is so edgy and why Cubs GM Jim Hendry always is tugging at his shirt like somebody is going to try to steal it off his back.

Beckham-for-Gonzalez would represent one of the game's emerging stars for one of its established stars, maybe like Emma Watson for Sandra Bullock.

In baseball terms this would be like the Yankees trading a middle infielder named Derek Jeter before his first full major- league season for, say, a slugging first baseman named Jim Thome already in his prime.

If you would make that deal you would make this one because Beckham reminds a little of the young Jeter and Gonzalez hits home runs like Thome did at his peak.

One of the most encouraging things Beckham did during his 2009 rookie season was express awe of Jeter.

The Yankees' shortstop is someone a young player should emulate. Beckham appears to have similar leadership and batting potential.

A rewarding upside it would be if Beckham ever reaches it, making him a risky guy to trade.

Then again, Adrian Gonzalez already hit 40 home runs in a season and might hit 4,000 this season in Comiskey Park.

Peavy, a former teammate and now a Sox pitcher, vouches for Gonzalez's clubhouse demeanor. San Diego fans like him, too.

One problem, as often is the case, are finances. They jump off the rumor page when considering this proposition bet.

The Sox would want Gonzalez for no less than five years and Beckham would cost them a lot less over that time.

If, or when, Gonzalez is available the competition for him will be formidable. The high-rolling Red Sox would lead the bidding in players and eventually salary.

For now the hypothetical remains: Should the White Sox trade Gordon Beckham's potential in a package for Adrian Gonzalez's prime?

Yes, drum roll please, I reluctantly say they should take the homers - at least until the next rumor arrives.

mimrem@dailyherald.com