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The July trade deadline finally became interesting yesterday. No, I'm not talking about that deal that took place elsewhere. We finally have a solid rumor on the South Side involving the White Sox' Dayan Viciedo.
Before Viciedo spent his evening going 4-for-4 against the Mariners, Gordan Edes of ESPN Boston wrote a story yesterday involving a potential deal that would send Viciedo to the Mariners for RHP Brandon Maurer and another player. Maurer seems to be everything that the Sox would be looking for. He has a mid 90's fastball, a 90-ish slider, and a circle change, mixing in a sinker and curveball. He's also struggled in the majors with a 6.36 ERA and a 4.86 FIP over 127⅓ innings in the majors. Maurer just turned 24 on July 3rd.
The Mariners would plug Viciedo into left field where Dustin Ackley is currently playing. Ackley has put up a .231/.289/.351 line so far this season. This trade would also keep the Mariners from having to play Logan Morrison or Cory Hart in the outfield.
If you're thinking you've heard something like this before, you're right. Trade rumors of Viciedo to the Mariners came up this spring. Whether the deal wasn't right or the fear of upsetting Jose Abreu's transition to the majors was to blame, obviously, no deal happened.
Viciedo is also drawing interest from the Giants as well. While there aren't as many details for that trade possibility, it also makes less sense. With Brandon Belt back, Michael Morse moves back to a left field platoon with Tyler Colvin. Hunter Pence is in right and the Giants are expecting Angel Pagan to come back this month too.
Finally, Edes wrote the article about outfielders the Red Sox may be interested in. With two trades last July between the Red Sox and White Sox, the teams certainly know each other phone numbers. He also included the names of a few Red Sox pitchers that it would likely take to get Viciedo from the White Sox. The Red Sox prospects Edes named included Brandon Workman, Rubby De La Rosa, and Allen Webster.