On Wednesday the Chicago White Sox signed infielder Gordon Beckham to a one-year deal and designated outfielder Dayan Viciedo for assignment to make room for him. It's now speculated the team is going to trade Viciedo. Are the Philadelphia Phillies a possible destination?
The White Sox avoided arbitration with the 25-year-old Cuban earlier in the offseason when the two agreed to a one-year, $4.4 million contract. He was the subject of trade talks before and during the MLB Winter Meetings, but the White Sox never worked anything out after entering "serious discussions" with the Seattle Mariners. It became clear they were moving on from the outfielder when they signed Melky Cabrera to a three-year, $42 million deal.
Viciedo is owed $4.4 million in 2015 and he still has three more years of arbitration eligibility, which means he won't be cheap. The White Sox lost faith in him after he slashed just .248/.293/.416 with 35 home runs and 114 RBIs in 269 games over the past two seasons after batting .255/.300/.444 with 25 home runs and 78 RBIs in his first full MLB season back in 2012. Are the Philadelphia Phillies willing to take a risk on such an inconsistent power bat?
Corey Seidman of CSN Philly thinks they should take a look.
"Could the Phillies be interested? They should be. Viciedo is young enough, and although he doesn't have exorbitant upside, he does have the type of 25-home run power that is nearing extinction in the majors," he writes. "From 2012 to 2014, Viciedo averaged 139 games and 526 plate appearances per season. He hit .250 over that span with 60 home runs and 63 doubles ... He's young enough to be able to grow here and young enough to be in the 28-to-30 age range by the time the Phillies are competitive again."
Right now, the Phillies have an outfield that consists of Domonic Brown, Ben Revere and Grady Sizemore. Brown followed up a tremendous 2013 season with an awful campaign in 2014; Revere is the team's leadoff hitter and isn't a run producer (two home runs and 28 RBIs in 151 games); and Sizemore's health is nothing to rely on. Additionally, they all have their defensive flaws, just like Viciedo. The fact that he's 25 years old and possesses the potential to be a 25-to-30 home run hitter is what should have a team such as the Phillies interested.
Given the success of recent Cuban players that came into the league (Yasiel Puig, Jose Abreu, Yoenis Cespedes), it might be worthwhile to take a gamble on Viciedo, especially since he's been playing for the White Sox, who are 388-422 with no playoff appearances during the five seasons he's been with the team. Their offense has also been wildly inconsistent. Philadelphia traded away two of their better hitters in Jimmy Rollins and Marlon Byrd, and after finishing 23rd in runs scored in 2014, they might be exploring such an option.
A trade might be the best move for the Phillies to acquire Viciedo because if they wish to claim him off waivers they'll have to wait until he's passed up by every American League team before they're given the winning claim. Being that a number of teams are seeking a power-hitting outfielder, that's the likely route that general manager Ruben Amaro would consider taking.
