Beckham... He Gone?

Here's a story that's picked up steam again. The White Sox are interested in trading for Padres 1B Adrian Gonzalez. And why wouldn't they be? All he's done in 4 seasons in San Diego is average 32 home runs and 100 RBIs, hit .285 with an OPS of .869. He's also collected 2 Gold Gloves and has made back-to-back All-Star games. Simply put, he's been a beast.
Now, imagine him in the 3-hole with Carlos Quentin, Paul Konerko and company hitting behind him. His power production would be a better lock to increase than Heidi Montag's plastic surgery count.
But at what cost? What would you be willing to part with for a 27-year-old power hitting, 2-time all-star and gold glove winning first basemen? (did I mention he's a lefty?) Jordan Danks? Daniel Hudson? How about last year's 1st round pick Jared Mitchell? They may all be promising and tempting but Padres GM Jed Hoyer wants someone else. Who does he want? None other than the south side's Lord and Savior Grodan Beckham.
It only makes sense that the Padres would want the Sox's best player in exchange for theirs. He's also going to be cheaper than Gonzalez. Adrian is signed through 2011 and will demand, and get, a hefty pay increase come contract time. Looking at the going rates for what he offers and Gonzalez is going to sign one of those $16 million/year contracts. Beckham is inked for another 5 years and carries a much lighter price tag.
What I think is more important than the financial side of the deal is what you are giving up and what you're getting in return. It is extremely hard to find the caliber of player Beckham projects out to be coupled with the baseball smarts and media savvy he already seems to possess at the tender age of 22. Throw in the fact that he's a middle infielder and it makes him that much more special. Beckham is already a fan favorite on the south side and after an impressive rookie campaign in '09 his fan base is sure to grow. It's only a matter of time until he is the official face of the Chicago White Sox.
If Kenny can bring Adrian Gonzalez over to the Sox then he should do it. Go ahead and trade Daniel Hudson, Jared Mitchell or Jordan Danks. Go ahead and package two of them together. You can part with those prospects because you really don't know what they are going to do on the big stage. You know what you already have with Beckham, and he's only going to get better. If I were in Kenny's shoes, I would veto any trade that included Beckham but would not be afraid to send them some unproven talent from the minors. Afterall, you have to give up something to get something, but you shouldn't give up the future face of your organization.