Blue Jays have interest in Beckham

The Toronto Blue Jays are interested in acquiring White Sox second baseman, and former first round pick, Gordon Beckham, according to MLB.com's Scott Merkin and Gregor Chisholm. The Blue Jays have been linked to numerous players in the last week, including a pair of Angels' catchers in Hank Conger and Chris Iannetta.

Beckham, 27, was taken with the 8th overall pick in the 2008 draft, and reached the majors just a year later in 2009. Since his impressive rookie campaign in which he hit .270/.347/.460 with a 2.1 WAR, Beckham has struggled offensively, hitting just .244/.306/.364 with a 3.5 WAR since the start of 2010. Beckham played in just 103 games this past season, missing two months with a broken hamate bone. Beckham is entering his second year of arbitration eligibility.

Merkin and Chisholm also note that the White Sox covet Blue Jays' pitching prospects Aaron Sanchez and Marcus Stroman, however, it is unlikely that the Sox would fetch either one in return for Beckham.

The Blue Jays hope to contend in the ultra-competitive AL East next season, and Beckham would represent an upgrade over current 2014 keystone candidates Ryan Goins and Maicer Izturis. However, the Blue Jays have plenty of other holes in their depth chart, particularly at catcher and in the rotation. They could be major players in free agency this year, with reports indicating that the club could push their payroll into the $150 million range for 2014.