Should the White Sox trade Dayan Viciedo?

Rumors surfaced over the winter meetings that Dayan Viciedo was involved in trade talks. Yesterday, Mark Gonzalez wrote that the Sox were in negotiations with the Seattle Mariners to send Viciedo for prospects. The 23-year old hit .255/.300/.744 with 25 homers and 78 RBI last season in his first full year of duty. A lot of that damage came off of lefties as he hit .350/.391/.642 off of southpaws.

He will never draw many walks. It's just not the type of player he is. He is a hacker. His OBP is always going to be driven by his batting average. While he didn't kill you in the field last year, he wasn't a defensive specialest either (although it was really nice having a left fielder with an arm). His agent is also Scott Boras, who historically hasn't played nice with Jerry Reinsdorf and Kenny Williams.

All of that aside, I think you almost have to give the Tank another year here on the South Side. Granted, every player is tradable. If the White Sox get blown away and receive a heck of a package, then by all means take it. I just think that he has a lot of room to grow.

On a team that lacks young talent on offense, Viciedo hit 25 homers. He isn't a free agent until 2018. While Paul Konerko's deal ends this year and Alex Rios and Adam Dunn's expire in two years, Viciedo could be hitting line drives for five more seasons on the South Side.

Dayan also has massive power to all fields. Take a look at these videos:

I haven't seen a player that has consistently been able to drive the ball out of the park to all fields like that since the 1997 version of Frank Thomas.

The White Sox do have some talent at the outfield position in the minor leagues. Courtney Hawkins, Trayce Thompson and Keenyn Walker are all going to be in the team's top 10 prospects. Jared Mitchell might be as well. However, with Konerko's deal expiring after this season and Dunn's next, Viciedo can easily slide over to first base if needed.

In my opinion, Viciedo has room and time to grow as a hitter. If he has one more year like this last one, ok, maybe it is time for him to go. But if he improves and reaches his potential, you have a guy that will be worth a whole lot more than just a couple of prospects. Unless you're getting blown away right now, it is worth the wait.