The White Sox brought back one of their former top prospects and bailed out on another Wednesday, signing Gordon Beckham and designating Dayan Viciedo for assignment.
The team announced Beckham has signed a $2 million deal for 2015 — less than half the salary he made in 2014, when the White Sox dealt him to the Angels in August for a player to be named or cash.
Beckham, the eighth overall pick in the 2008 draft, had gradually fallen out of favor in Chicago after an impressive rookie campaign in 2009. His OPS plummeted from .808 that season to a remarkable .598 in 101 games for the White Sox last year before they finally cut bait. He rebounded (.268/.328/.429) in the final five weeks with the Angels, but they non-tendered the infielder in December.
Viciedo shared the Comiskey Park infield with Beckham when he came up as a 21-year-old third baseman in 2010 but has been an outfielder and designated hitter since. He hit 25 homers in 2012 but never blossomed as an all-around hitter as many had predicted he would.
The White Sox were widely reported to be trying to trade Viciedo this offseason, and he avoided arbitration earlier this month by agreeing to a $4.4 million deal for 2015. But it looks like he'll be playing in another uniform this season, whether the White Sox work out a trade in the next 10 days or Viciedo ends up signing elsewhere after being released.