Angels Are Interested In Jermaine Dye

So far this offseason White Sox outfielder Jermaine Dye has been nearly traded about 15 different times. There was that near deal during the Winter Meetings that had him going to Cincinnati for Homer Bailey, and just recently there was the deal that had him going to Texas for Michael Young. Obviously none of them ever went through, but there's a new deal supposedly on the table that makes sense.

Apparently there have been some trade talks between the Sox and Angels concerning a swap of Dye for Chone Figgins.

According to a major-league scout, the Angels are the latest team to express interest in acquiring Jermaine Dye now that the Mark Teixeira ship has set sail to New York. Unlike the talks with the Reds that stalled during the Winter Meetings, the Sox and Angels actually have a fit.
The South Siders covet speed - with Williams telling the Sun-Times back in June that Figgins was "interesting.'' The Angels want a power bat to offer some protection for Vladimir Guerrero and Torii Hunter.

Chone Figgins has been on Kenny Williams' radar for a few years now. He's tried to pry him away from the Angels before, and he would definitely fill a hole for the White Sox. The Sox need a leadoff hitter, and Chone's versatility on defense -- he can play just about anywhere -- would be a huge bonus for a team looking for flexibility.

As for the Angels, they're looking to fill the void left by Mark Teixeira's departure, and Dye could be the man to do just that. The obvious problem here, though, is that the Angels already have roughly 348 outfielders on their 40-man roster. Putting Dye in right field would help keep Vladimir Guerrero healthy as a DH, but one of their outfielders would still have to be converted to first base or pushed to the bench.

Of course, we'll have to wait and see whether this latest deal goes through.