White Sox reportedly in on Desmond
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Shortstop Ian Desmond, who continues to languish on the free-agent market, could soon find a home on the South Side of Chicago. The White Sox are among the teams considering a deal with Desmond, MLB Network's Jon Heyman reported on Thursday.
The White Sox would appear to be a natural fit for Desmond. Tyler Saladino currently tops the club's depth chart at short, but the 26-year-old batted just .225/.267/.335 with four homers and 20 RBIs in 68 games as a rookie in 2015.
In addition, Chicago's first pick (No. 10 overall) in the 2016 Draft is protected, meaning the organization would not have to forfeit that selection for signing Desmond, who rejected a qualifying offer from the Nationals. Instead, the White Sox would give up their next pick (currently No. 28), which they gained as compensation when pitcher Jeff Samardzija left to sign with the Giants.
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The selection is likely one major reason why other teams have shied away from Desmond, who is entering his age-30 season. He also suffered a significant downturn in performance in '15. A Silver Slugger Award winner in each of the three previous seasons, Desmond hit .233/.290/.384, with 19 home runs, 62 RBIs and 13 steals in 156 games.
However, after struggling on both offense and defense early in the season, Desmond turned things around and managed a .777 OPS after the All-Star break.
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With few teams seeking a shortstop, Desmond's market has been slow to take shape this offseason. He was tied to the Padres before San Diego signed Alexei Ramirez, and he also has been connected to the Rays. ESPN reported on Tuesday that Desmond is a "long shot" to end up with Tampa Bay, as the Rays do not want to surrender the No. 13 overall pick, which is not protected.