Beckham wants to stay, but unsure where he'll land
Infielder excelled after Angels traded for him in late August
ANAHEIM -- As Gordon Beckham packed up his locker two weeks ago, he had a handful of questions: Do you have an empty box? What do I do with these black shoes? Can you mail this to someone? But one stood out from the others: What do I do with this stuff if I'm not back here next season?
Beckham, 28, is arbitration-eligible this offseason and potentially could be non-tendered by the Angels in December, less than four months after the club traded for him. Beckham was dealt from the White Sox for a player to be named or cash in late August.
The utility infielder said he doesn't have any expectations going into the offseason.
"Obviously, I hope I'm here going forward," Beckham said. "Hopefully, it's here. If not, it'll be somewhere else."
Beckham made $4.175 million this season and would probably serve as a backup infielder again in 2015 if the Angels bring back third baseman David Freese (who made $5.05 million in 2014 and could also be non-tendered).
In 26 games with the Angels, Beckham slashed .268/.328/.429 while driving in eight runs and posting a 117 OPS+, the highest figure of his career, although in a very small sample size. Beckham, a former first-round Draft pick of the White Sox, said the move to Southern California was beneficial to him.
"You don't expect to get traded in late August, but getting over here was the greatest thing for me," Beckham said. "I was thrilled to be with a new group and a new atmosphere. I needed a change of scenery and this was awesome."
Beckham only made 12 starts for the Angels, but he was versatile enough on both the offensive and defensive side to warrant a spot on the postseason roster.
"Sometimes when you have so much history in a place, you kind of get stale, for lack of a better term," Beckham said. "I was happy to have a fresh start. I've heard people have a change of scenery and they do really well in other places. I feel like I kind of fit under that category. I really needed another place to go and the Angels were great."