Gordon Beckham could have a huge season hitting second in the White Sox lineup, behind Juan Pierre and in front of Adam Dunn, Paul Konerko, Alex Rios and Carlos Quentin. He really seemed to grow in the second half of 2010. … Because they are highly competitive division rivals, it's hard to imagine the Angels sending Mike Napoli to the Rangers directly (he went from the Angels to the Blue Jays to the Rangers), just as it was unlikely the Cubs would have wanted Mark DeRosa to wind up with the Cardinals less than a year after they traded him to the Indians. Give the Red Sox credit for taking no chances. Their $142 million deal with Carl Crawford includes a clause that prohibits any team he's traded to from then trading him to the Yankees. They rarely give no-trade clauses, and in Crawford's case allowed him to block trades to only two teams. … Angels owner Arte Moreno is steaming at agent Scott Boras over the Adrian Beltre negotiations, among other issues. Interestingly, Boras leases the best luxury suite at Angel Stadium, immediately behind home plate and clearly visible from the center-field camera. … It has to be a bad sign that the Twins ordered Justin Morneau to stay away from the Twins' offseason event. He and Joe Nathan (surgery) are huge question marks heading toward spring training. … The Yankees' signing of Mark Prior and Bartolo Colon smacks more of desperation than the Angels' trade for Vernon Wells. For what it's worth, the Angels are more than capable of winning the AL West, with a starting rotation that compares favorably to those for the Rangers and A's. Jered Weaver, Ervin Santana, Dan Haren and Joel Pineiro will be backed by the top defensive outfield in the majors in Peter Bourjos, Torii Hunter and Wells. … Either Royals first baseman Billy Butler has quietly emerged as a top-tier hitter or the Royals are making a big mistake giving him a four-year, $30 million extension with the much-hyped Eric Hosmer knocking on the big-league door. … Don't be surprised if Brewers slugger Prince Fielder is the talk of Arizona. He's motivated to have a career year as he plays for a new contract.