What Teahen trade means for White Sox

The acquisition of Mark Teahen tips the White Sox hand a little as to how they'll align next season.

Common thought has him simply replacing Jermaine Dye—a free agent expected to depart—in right field.

Let's take a deeper look.

The versatile Teahen could have been acquired to move Gordon Beckham to second base. Two weeks ago, manager Ozzie Guillen said that he saw Beckham as a future second baseman when asked if Beckham could ever return to his natural position of shortstop.

The 28-year-old Teahen hit .271 with 12 homers and 50 RBI last season, and can play third base, as well as the outfield.

The other option is that the Sox will play Teahen in the outfield, moving Beckham to second and clearing the way for the push to sign free agent-to-be Chone Figgins. With Jayson Nix in the wings they have options either way.

The White Sox also announced Thursday morning that they agreed to a one-year, $1.5 million contract for free agent-to-be Mark Kotsay. The versatile Kotsay gives Guillen a backup first baseman, as well as an outfielder to rotate around. More importantly, Kotsay emerged as a team leader from Day 1 and was an instant favorite of Guillen’s.