There is a clear difference between how Chicago baseball teams view their spring training. One is proactive, the other is staid.
As camp opened, the Cubs third base corps was a mess. Ian Stewart and Josh Vitters both strained their lat muscles. Stewart, coming off wrist surgery and a busted 2012 season, had an MRI and may miss some time. Vitters injury appears to be less severe. However, when one looks at the entire organizational chart, only Luis Valbuena remains as a third base option for 2013.
In contrast, the White Sox opened camp with newly signed free agent utility man Jeff Keppinger slated to be at third. Injury prone Bret Morel was targeted to be the back up third baseman if he was healthy. But the White Sox front office saw their roster being right hand hitting dominant. And to further bolster roster depth, the Sox decided to go out and find a left handed bat that added depth at third base.
So the White Sox traded minor league pitcher Jeff Soptic to the Giants for minor league third baseman Conor Gillaspie.
Gillaspie, 25, is a left handed hitting infielder, who was a former fast-rising prospect and 37th overall
selection in 2008. He played in the major leagues less than 100 days
after he was selected. He has spent most of his time in the minor
leagues since then, though, batting .287 with 37 home runs and 259 RBIs
over five seasons.
To make room for Gillaspie, the White Sox waived first baseman Lars Anderson, whom they recently picked up off waivers.
Over 29 major league games spanning three seasons with the Giants he hit .205 with one home run and four RBIs.
As ESPN Chicago reported:
"He conceivably fits in nicely on the roster, which we’ll obviously
decide more about toward the end of next month," general manager Rick
Hahn said. "But we see him having a solid hit tool, above-average
awareness of the strike zone, solid defensively. He gives us a little
versatility in his ability to play third base as well as first. He gives
(manager) Robin (Ventura) some options potentially."
Gillaspie is out of minor league options, which means that if he
doesn't make the White Sox out of spring training he would have to go
through the waivers process.
In certain respects, Gillaspie fits a real need for the Cubs, someone who will be able to back up third and first base this season. Currently, the Cubs have no one on the roster for that role. Non-roster invitee Brett Lillibridge is getting some play because he can also play the outfield. But the Cubs appear not to want to trade any prospects (especially their own) to fill current season needs. This is a clear signal that the Cubs do not want to tinker with their rebuilding plan by trading away young talent that they are signing or developing for a player that meets a current roster need.
