Article on Buehrle contract

[Sonik22]

This article makes me feel better about our chances in the offseason. I didn't see this posted anywhere else so i'm sorry if it's a repost.

 

Buehrle

[Jimbo's Drinker]

sign him and ill have a tough time buying him or danks jersey in the future.

[BearSox]

I really dont care. Chances are if he keeps this up, he will demand Zito money, and there ain't no way I want him at that price. And if he sucks again, why keep him? The only way is if he is mediocre and we get him at something like 4 years, 40-45 million, which would be reasonable.

[witesoxfan]

I really dont care. Chances are if he keeps this up, he will demand Zito money, and there ain't no way I want him at that price. And if he sucks again, why keep him? The only way is if he is mediocre and we get him at something like 4 years, 40-45 million, which would be reasonable.

 

You're going to try and convince me that 4/$45 is reasonable for a pitcher that will have 110+ career wins by his age 29 season? Gil Meche got 5/$55, and he's been mediocre as hell throughout his entire career.

 

Reasonable for Buehrle if he's mediocre is 5/$65, and you wouldn't want to do that, and if he's good, it's 5/$85, or 6/$90, and you probably wouldn't make those either. However, I would make either of those moves. He's proven to be a durable arm throughout the course of his career, and at his second to worst, he's a mediocre pitcher (because obviously at his worst he's one of the worst pitchers in the majors). At his best he's a front of the rotation starter, and this team won't have one of those until 2009, and that's if Gio makes it at all.

 

I don't think he's going to get 7/$126, because Jeff Berry is not Scott Boras. He may very well get $100 mill, but I don't think a team bites on $18; on the other hand, $16.5 over 6 years is reasonable to see it coming true.

[joeynach]

Im not sure if u want him, well i would for the same deal we gave Vazquez. Ill take Mark for 3 years 33-36 Mil but no more. Hes not a real #1, not a real Ace that just moe people down when you need them. Who make people look silly, who throws pitches that are unhittable. Id rather have an Oswalt, Halladay, Zambrano, Webb, Sabathia, Santana, etc as my big pitcher making big money. Buehrle gives up a ton of hits and IMO any guy throwing 88 mph tops, which he apparently now has trouble doing, is going to have trouble in the AL & will always need to be way too perfect. I love mark, but I love him making no more than 11 mil and being a #2 or lower. Please stop looking to him as the be all end all of pitching, give me Felix Hernandez over MB and any of the above mentioned legit aces. MB for 5 years/70 Mil no thanks not even 4 years 52 Mil. Go get someone that dominates for that price and keeps the ball from being hit in our hitter friendly park.

[witesoxfan]

Im not sure if u want him, well i would for the same deal we gave Vazquez. Ill take Mark for 3 years 33-36 Mil but no more. Hes not a real #1, not a real Ace that just moe people down when you need them. Who make people look silly, who throws pitches that are unhittable. Id rather have an Oswalt, Halladay, Zambrano, Webb, Sabathia, Santana, etc as my big pitcher making big money. Buehrle gives up a ton of hits and IMO any guy throwing 88 mph tops, which he apparently now has trouble doing, is going to have trouble in the AL & will always need to be way too perfect. I love mark, but I love him making no more than 11 mil and being a #2 or lower. Please stop looking to him as the be all end all of pitching, give me Felix Hernandez over MB and any of the above mentioned legit aces. MB for 5 years/70 Mil no thanks not even 4 years 52 Mil. Go get someone that dominates for that price and keeps the ball from being hit in our hitter friendly park.

 

Santana is going to get $22-25 mill a year, and I wouldn't rule out more. Zambrano is going to get $16-18. And I don't know why you'd rather have Oswalt considering his peripherals continue to get worse every single year, though that could be because he's turned into more a control and pitching to contact guy than a strikeout guy. And I'm sick and tired of this ace bulls***, you don't need a f'ing ace to win a World Series, you can have 4 #2's or for #1's who aren't aces, like the Sox had in 2005 or the Angels had in 2002. If he's good, and you have faith in his health, you try your damnedest to resign him.

 

Secondly, though it will be topped in the next 2 years, Barry Zito signed the biggest contract for a pitcher in the history of baseball. He tops out at 90.

 

Third, Buehrle's been throwing 87-90 all year. I don't get where you are saying he's having trouble hitting 88. His velocity has looked better, and his pitches still have movement. And he's always given up a ton of hits, but that has never stopped him from being a great #2-3 pitcher his entire career. His problems have been control and homers; if he can walk around 50 a year, and allow 25 homers a year, he's going to be good even when his H/9 is right around 9. However, if he's allowing more in either of those aforementioned categories, he's going to get hit around. It's that simple.

 

Fourth, I've never made him the end all, be all. I'm just suggesting he's a good candiate to build the rotation around. As much as I love Vazquez, he's too damn streaky, and Garland will never be much more than a mediocre pitcher. Gio is a guy that has that potential, but he's in AA. If Buehrle gets let go, the rotation is probably Contreras, Garland, Vazquez, Danks, and Floyd/Haeger/Phillips/Russell/Gio next year, and that's just s***ty; if that's the rotation, the Sox may as well go into a 3 year rebuilding plan.

 

Finally, yeah, I'll take Felix over Buehrle, but I'll leave it up to you to find me a way to get him without giving up the White Sox top 10 prospects. That's a completely assinine statement, you can't have Felix and you'll likely never get him. Beyond that, the kid may be destined for a career on the DL simply because his slider takes too much of a toll on his elbow.

 

Basically, if you resign Buehrle this offseason, I think you have a shot in hell at competing in the next few years. If you don't, s*** hits the fan and the Sox are mediocre or bad for the rest of the decade.

[greg775]

"Ozzie is unbelievable. He's even said that he feels the same way about me as if he had a daughter that was pregnant," Jamie said. "It's weird because I think, 'Why us? Why is he so attached to us?' But he has told Mark that no matter what, [Mark will] be there for our child being born.

 

"That means the world to me because I know a lot of managers really could care less. I just truly believe the way it's meant to be [with the contract], it will play out."

 

Ozzie equal great person.

[BobDylan]

Santana is going to get $22-25 mill a year, and I wouldn't rule out more. Zambrano is going to get $16-18. And I don't know why you'd rather have Oswalt considering his peripherals continue to get worse every single year, though that could be because he's turned into more a control and pitching to contact guy than a strikeout guy. And I'm sick and tired of this ace bulls***, you don't need a f'ing ace to win a World Series, you can have 4 #2's or for #1's who aren't aces, like the Sox had in 2005 or the Angels had in 2002. If he's good, and you have faith in his health, you try your damnedest to resign him.

 

Secondly, though it will be topped in the next 2 years, Barry Zito signed the biggest contract for a pitcher in the history of baseball. He tops out at 90.

 

Third, Buehrle's been throwing 87-90 all year. I don't get where you are saying he's having trouble hitting 88. His velocity has looked better, and his pitches still have movement. And he's always given up a ton of hits, but that has never stopped him from being a great #2-3 pitcher his entire career. His problems have been control and homers; if he can walk around 50 a year, and allow 25 homers a year, he's going to be good even when his H/9 is right around 9. However, if he's allowing more in either of those aforementioned categories, he's going to get hit around. It's that simple.

 

Fourth, I've never made him the end all, be all. I'm just suggesting he's a good candiate to build the rotation around. As much as I love Vazquez, he's too damn streaky, and Garland will never be much more than a mediocre pitcher. Gio is a guy that has that potential, but he's in AA. If Buehrle gets let go, the rotation is probably Contreras, Garland, Vazquez, Danks, and Floyd/Haeger/Phillips/Russell/Gio next year, and that's just s***ty; if that's the rotation, the Sox may as well go into a 3 year rebuilding plan.

 

Finally, yeah, I'll take Felix over Buehrle, but I'll leave it up to you to find me a way to get him without giving up the White Sox top 10 prospects. That's a completely assinine statement, you can't have Felix and you'll likely never get him. Beyond that, the kid may be destined for a career on the DL simply because his slider takes too much of a toll on his elbow.

 

Basically, if you resign Buehrle this offseason, I think you have a shot in hell at competing in the next few years. If you don't, s*** hits the fan and the Sox are mediocre or bad for the rest of the decade.

 

Pretty much right on. The way I see it, the Sox have two choices with Buehrle: resign him or trade him. The Sox are absolutely f***ed if they just let him walk. While they've recently added depth to pitching within the system, it's nowhere near ready, nor does it look flawless and "the can't miss plan."

 

However, if they were able to pull off a miracle and get Santana, that's when you let Buehrle walk. And I think that's the idea the Sox have (pure speculation and hopes). Let Buehrle take his offers and court Santana. If they can't get Johan, they match whatever deal Buehrle is offered. The ideal situation, if we're talking about rebuilding, is to deal all of Buehrle, Dye, Crede and Thome by the deadline and do whatever you can to get Johan. With a Johan at the front of the staff, and the bullpen they have and the years they'll get out of it, they won't need to overpay the market and fill holes offensively--especially if you can get major league talent back for all the players dealt away.

 

Pitching wins games (unless the offense is as bad as it is now, which is pretty tough to do) but the Sox cannot go into next year without somebody they know will flat out get the job done. Whether that means a legitimate ace or Mark Buehrle doesn't matter.

[ZoomSlowik]

Pretty much right on. The way I see it, the Sox have two choices with Buehrle: resign him or trade him. The Sox are absolutely f***ed if they just let him walk. While they've recently added depth to pitching within the system, it's nowhere near ready, nor does it look flawless and "the can't miss plan."

 

However, if they were able to pull off a miracle and get Santana, that's when you let Buehrle walk. And I think that's the idea the Sox have (pure speculation and hopes). Let Buehrle take his offers and court Santana. If they can't get Johan, they match whatever deal Buehrle is offered. The ideal situation, if we're talking about rebuilding, is to deal all of Buehrle, Dye, Crede and Thome by the deadline and do whatever you can to get Johan. With a Johan at the front of the staff, and the bullpen they have and the years they'll get out of it, they won't need to overpay the market and fill holes offensively--especially if you can get major league talent back for all the players dealt away.

 

Pitching wins games (unless the offense is as bad as it is now, which is pretty tough to do) but the Sox cannot go into next year without somebody they know will flat out get the job done. Whether that means a legitimate ace or Mark Buehrle doesn't matter.

 

Did you mean Zambrano? He's a free agent after this season, Johan is not. Santana, Sabathia, Peavy, and Sheets are free agents after 2008.

[BobDylan]

Did you mean Zambrano? He's a free agent after this season, Johan is not. Santana, Sabathia, Peavy, and Sheets are free agents after 2008.

 

Ahh. I was under the impression he was a free agent after '07. I guess that changes my ideas quite a bit. As far as Zambrano, I wouldn't touch him with a 20 foot pole.

 

Either way, I still don't think the White Sox can afford to let Buehrle just walk.

[witesoxfan]

Did you mean Zambrano? He's a free agent after this season, Johan is not. Santana, Sabathia, Peavy, and Sheets are free agents after 2008.

 

I can handle one s***ty season and losing Buehrle if it means landing one of those guys, honestly, truthfully, 100% positive for sure I can. I'll b**** and moan while Darin Erstad is still the Sox CF next year, but I'll take it.

 

The problem is you can't predict what kind of market there will be for those guys and you can't predict what type of money you'll be able to spend. The White Sox could easily cut payroll to around $65-70 mill for next year by trading away a s*** load of parts and not resigning anybody while just getting compensatory picks for them while going into a rebuilding mode, but that money won't be there because attendance will be back around 1.5 mill a year. I don't think anybody within the front office wants to risk that, and with good reason. As it is, you can resign Buehrle, have a rotation of Buehrle, Garland, Vazquez, Danks, and Floyd/Gio/Russell/Haeger/Broadway/your grandma that will still suck, but it will have a future to it as well, as both Danks and the #5 starter could be in the majors for a while. That would obviously involve trading Contreras, but I see nothing wrong with that at all.

[ZoomSlowik]

I can handle one s***ty season and losing Buehrle if it means landing one of those guys, honestly, truthfully, 100% positive for sure I can. I'll b**** and moan while Darin Erstad is still the Sox CF next year, but I'll take it.

 

The first three I can agree with, but Sheets makes me a bit nervous. He missed about 30 starts over the last two years, and the last start he had against the Cubs his fastball was floating between 88-90.

[witesoxfan]

The first three I can agree with, but Sheets makes me a bit nervous. He missed about 30 starts over the last two years, and the last start he had against the Cubs his fastball was floating between 88-90.

 

Yeah, Sheets is pretty much just a name now. His shoulder has been a concern in the past as I recall, and his back is just a killer. He and Harden are the two pitchers I want nothing to do with right now.

[kageman129]

All I know is that Buehrle is a great guy, and has been an amazing pitcher on the South Side for a long time. To let a left-handed pitcher this good go, would be just plain stupid. You have to at least attempt to resign him, which the White Sox will do.

 

Hopefully he'll be back next year, pitching just as good as he is this year.

[Kalapse]

Im not sure if u want him, well i would for the same deal we gave Vazquez. Ill take Mark for 3 years 33-36 Mil but no more. Hes not a real #1, not a real Ace that just moe people down when you need them. Who make people look silly, who throws pitches that are unhittable. Id rather have an Oswalt, Halladay, Zambrano, Webb, Sabathia, Santana, etc as my big pitcher making big money. Buehrle gives up a ton of hits and IMO any guy throwing 88 mph tops, which he apparently now has trouble doing, is going to have trouble in the AL & will always need to be way too perfect. I love mark, but I love him making no more than 11 mil and being a #2 or lower. Please stop looking to him as the be all end all of pitching, give me Felix Hernandez over MB and any of the above mentioned legit aces. MB for 5 years/70 Mil no thanks not even 4 years 52 Mil. Go get someone that dominates for that price and keeps the ball from being hit in our hitter friendly park.

You have no grasp on the value of consistent starting pitching in this current state of major league baseball.

[witesoxfan]

You have no grasp on the value of consistent starting pitching in this current state of major league baseball.

 

You said in 19 words what I tried to explain in 464.

[Marky Mark]

Yeah, I feel like too many people have lost confidence in Buehrle after just one bad season.

 

Just look at Roger Clemens' career stats. In '93 he finished with an ERA of 4.46, that's more than 2 points in addition to his ERA of the previous year when he put up a 2.41 ERA. Was he a miserable pitcher after that? Well he won 4 Cy Youngs after that, so you figure it out.

[joeynach]

Santana is going to get $22-25 mill a year, and I wouldn't rule out more. Zambrano is going to get $16-18. And I don't know why you'd rather have Oswalt considering his peripherals continue to get worse every single year, though that could be because he's turned into more a control and pitching to contact guy than a strikeout guy. And I'm sick and tired of this ace bulls***, you don't need a f'ing ace to win a World Series, you can have 4 #2's or for #1's who aren't aces, like the Sox had in 2005 or the Angels had in 2002. If he's good, and you have faith in his health, you try your damnedest to resign him.

 

Secondly, though it will be topped in the next 2 years, Barry Zito signed the biggest contract for a pitcher in the history of baseball. He tops out at 90.

 

Third, Buehrle's been throwing 87-90 all year. I don't get where you are saying he's having trouble hitting 88. His velocity has looked better, and his pitches still have movement. And he's always given up a ton of hits, but that has never stopped him from being a great #2-3 pitcher his entire career. His problems have been control and homers; if he can walk around 50 a year, and allow 25 homers a year, he's going to be good even when his H/9 is right around 9. However, if he's allowing more in either of those aforementioned categories, he's going to get hit around. It's that simple.

 

Fourth, I've never made him the end all, be all. I'm just suggesting he's a good candiate to build the rotation around. As much as I love Vazquez, he's too damn streaky, and Garland will never be much more than a mediocre pitcher. Gio is a guy that has that potential, but he's in AA. If Buehrle gets let go, the rotation is probably Contreras, Garland, Vazquez, Danks, and Floyd/Haeger/Phillips/Russell/Gio next year, and that's just s***ty; if that's the rotation, the Sox may as well go into a 3 year rebuilding plan.

 

Finally, yeah, I'll take Felix over Buehrle, but I'll leave it up to you to find me a way to get him without giving up the White Sox top 10 prospects. That's a completely assinine statement, you can't have Felix and you'll likely never get him. Beyond that, the kid may be destined for a career on the DL simply because his slider takes too much of a toll on his elbow.

 

Basically, if you resign Buehrle this offseason, I think you have a shot in hell at competing in the next few years. If you don't, s*** hits the fan and the Sox are mediocre or bad for the rest of the decade.

 

 

First of all those names I mentioned aren't my suggestions for who we should get next year, thats unrealistic, they are their for comparison purposes only. As if Buehrle is your big $$ pitcher and our anchor I would rather have any of the other guys listed above. In our ballpark our big pitcher needs to be a non-contact hitter, our ballpark is tiny and our corner outfielders are slow or not good. You dont think Jake Peavy would be great in a sox uniform. My point is all about the value of MB, you make him sound like if he is resigned we are just blindly going to be OK for the next 3 years. Hell no, espeically if its gonna cost 15 Mil per year for that. Im telling you I like Mark, I really do, but he is worth the same contract Vazquez got, Contreras got, Garland got, and not much more. Im not saying we should swap him for somebody else im just saying in terms of his value and contract what would be beneficial to our team vs detrimental to our team.

 

I have never been in love with Mark's style of being that finese pitcher who needs to be perfect and needs to be getting a good strike zone from the ump. Thats the problem and I think KW noticed it too. He went out and made a whole new bullpen on the premise that we need to make more pitches that are just flat out unhittable, more pitches that result in less contact, more pitches that dont rely on getting favorable nips on the corners of the strike zone. And im sorry but MB is the opposite of that. He even said it himself he needs to be getting the calls in and around the corners to be effective or hes going to get hammered. So you wanna give this guy big $$ so that if 10 factors dont go right any given day he could get shelled. No thank you. Thats why I preach on getting more guys like KW did for our bullpen. More guys who you cant hit (or more difficult to hit) regardless of the size of the strike zone, favorable calls, questec, blah blah. Guys whose stuff is outstanding thats where we should spend our 4 Years 60 Mil at for a pitcher. Im not saying who it should be I dont have the answer, but im saying MB doesn't fit that profile for that type of deal. And BTW that Zito contract was the worst contract in the history of baseball.

Edited May 4, 2007 by joeynach

[joeynach]

You have no grasp on the value of consistent starting pitching in this current state of major league baseball.

So u are in favor of giving MB before any other pitcher potentially available a 5 Year 75 Mil deal? Well then we are lucky you are not the GM. Whats wrong with MB on a 3 year deal at 11-12 per year with an option.

[fathom]

So u are in favor of giving MB before any other pitcher potentially available a 5 Year 75 Mil deal? Well then we are lucky you are not the GM. Whats wrong with MB on a 3 year deal at 11-12 per year with an option.

 

It's never going to happen, so why even mention it?

[witesoxfan]

In our ballpark our big pitcher needs to be a non-contact hitter, our ballpark is tiny and our corner outfielders are slow or not good.

 

Buehrle's had USCF/Comiskey his entire career, and the dimensions have been the exact same his entire career. I don't get that you can argue he won't be successful if he stays here, because he's been a great #2-3 his entire career in Chicago aside from the second half of last season.

 

If Buehrle can keep producing a GO/AO of around 1.30-1.40, along with having good control, he'll be fine. If his GO/AO creeps into the 1.15-1.20 area, he's going to get hit around quite a bit.

 

 

then there is this

 

First of all those names I mentioned aren't my suggestions for who we should get next year, thats unrealistic, they are their for comparison purposes only.

 

the very next sentence

 

As if Buehrle is your big $$ pitcher and our anchor I would rather have any of the other guys listed above.

 

please make up your mind.

 

You dont think Jake Peavy would be great in a sox uniform.

 

You don't think the ballpark he pitches in kept his ERA around 4.00 last year, instead of the 4.50 it probably should have been? I mean, it's not like he's pitching in the best pitcher's park in the majors.

 

Regardless of that, yes I'd love Jake Peavy. So would 28 other teams that don't have him and 1 team that does. Keep pipe dream separate from reality, because that too would cost the White Sox top 5 prospects value-wise or something in the whereabouts to get.

 

My point is all about the value of MB, you make him sound like if he is resigned we are just blindly going to be OK for the next 3 years. Hell no, espeically if its gonna cost 15 Mil per year for that. Im telling you I like Mark, I really do, but he is worth the same contract Vazquez got, Contreras got, Garland got, and not much more.

 

how about I modify that a little bit

 

"My point is all about the value of (insert initials of pitcher), you make him sound like if he is signed we are just blindly going to be OK for the next 3 years. Hell no, espeically if its gonna cost (insert figure) per year for that. Im telling you I like (insert pitcher's last name), I really do, but he is worth the same contract Vazquez got, Contreras got, Garland got, and not much more."

 

There's no more risk with Buehrle than there is with Jake Peavy, Johan Santana, Roy Oswalt, Ben Sheets, or Felix Hernandez. In fact, I'd argue that there's less risk involved with Buehrle than any of those pitchers. So there's always the buyer beware, but I think Buehrle is the most likely of any of the upcoming free agents to remain healthy, and he's going to be consistent over the entire course of his contract.

 

Im not saying we should swap him for somebody else im just saying in terms of his value and contract what would be beneficial to our team vs detrimental to our team.

 

If you want to compete, you'll need to resign Buehrle. The Sox aren't going to sign any upcoming free agents on the market because they won't go over 3 years for any of them (and maybe not for even Buehrle), and they'll all get atleast 5 years. So I imagine it's Buehrle or bust.

[ZoomSlowik]

So u are in favor of giving MB before any other pitcher potentially available a 5 Year 75 Mil deal? Well then we are lucky you are not the GM. Whats wrong with MB on a 3 year deal at 11-12 per year with an option.

 

I'll take "He already turned down an offer in that neighborhood last year" for 500 Alex...

[Kalapse]

So u are in favor of giving MB before any other pitcher potentially available a 5 Year 75 Mil deal? Well then we are lucky you are not the GM. Whats wrong with MB on a 3 year deal at 11-12 per year with an option.

Because he will never accept that deal, it's not proper compensation for his projected future success. If you don't think a #2 starter (your words) is not worth 4yrs at $13 a year (your words again) then you don't know what 230IP, a 3.50-3.80 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP is worth in this current market.

 

Hell, just looking at it from a marketing point of view it would be a great move you'd be locking up a likable, clean, fan/clubhouse friendly pitcher for the long term. A player to make the face of the franchise, it would make Brooks Boyer's life a whole lot easier.

 

5 years @ $14M a year I'm making the deal. He's going to go out there every 5th day and give your team one hell of a chance to win while at the same time being a tremendous presence in the clubhouse and in the community. Those types of players are not easily acquired now a days.

[caulfield12]

First of all those names I mentioned aren't my suggestions for who we should get next year, thats unrealistic, they are their for comparison purposes only. As if Buehrle is your big $$ pitcher and our anchor I would rather have any of the other guys listed above. In our ballpark our big pitcher needs to be a non-contact hitter, our ballpark is tiny and our corner outfielders are slow or not good. You dont think Jake Peavy would be great in a sox uniform. My point is all about the value of MB, you make him sound like if he is resigned we are just blindly going to be OK for the next 3 years. Hell no, espeically if its gonna cost 15 Mil per year for that. Im telling you I like Mark, I really do, but he is worth the same contract Vazquez got, Contreras got, Garland got, and not much more. Im not saying we should swap him for somebody else im just saying in terms of his value and contract what would be beneficial to our team vs detrimental to our team.

 

I have never been in love with Mark's style of being that finese pitcher who needs to be perfect and needs to be getting a good strike zone from the ump. Thats the problem and I think KW noticed it too. He went out and made a whole new bullpen on the premise that we need to make more pitches that are just flat out unhittable, more pitches that result in less contact, more pitches that dont rely on getting favorable nips on the corners of the strike zone. And im sorry but MB is the opposite of that. He even said it himself he needs to be getting the calls in and around the corners to be effective or hes going to get hammered. So you wanna give this guy big $$ so that if 10 factors dont go right any given day he could get shelled. No thank you. Thats why I preach on getting more guys like KW did for our bullpen. More guys who you cant hit (or more difficult to hit) regardless of the size of the strike zone, favorable calls, questec, blah blah. Guys whose stuff is outstanding thats where we should spend our 4 Years 60 Mil at for a pitcher. Im not saying who it should be I dont have the answer, but im saying MB doesn't fit that profile for that type of deal. And BTW that Zito contract was the worst contract in the history of baseball.

 

Buehrle is the heart and soul of this franchise, along with Konerko.

 

You can't put a dollar value on that...which is why replacing him with XXX player doesn't make a whole lot of sense, because starting pitching is so fragile.

 

Everyone was betting against Gil Meche going from a 4-5 starter to the "ace" of the Royals, and he's been exactly that pitcher they projected (around a 2 ERA) but they're still well off the pace.

 

Why did the Royals make that move? To show they were again a legitimate, viable "breathing" franchise. Well, the White Sox need to prove to their fans that they're going to be a "player" in the future of the AL Central or if we're going back to Maybe These Kids Can Play, Version 4.

 

Signing Buehrle makes sense because...

 

1) He's been a critical part of our franchise his entire career

2) We're not going to end up keeping Crede, the other "born and bred" Sox player

3) He's very durable, and still in his prime, as opposed to Vazquez and Contreras

4) He's representative of the "blue collar" work ethic Sox fans most identify with

5) He doesn't have a violent motion or pitch that creates maximum torque like the Liriano slider or Felix Hernandez slurve

6) He's lefthanded and would be a great tutor/mentor for Danks and Gio

7) Any pitcher you can name that we would trade for (Peavy, Oswalt, etc.) would cost us way too much

8) All indications are he would like to come back if the White Sox make a "fair" offer near market value

Edited May 4, 2007 by caulfield12

[Controlled Chaos]

Buehrle is the heart and soul of this franchise, along with Konerko.

 

You can't put a dollar value on that...which is why replacing him with XXX player doesn't make a whole lot of sense, because starting pitching is so fragile.

 

Everyone was betting against Gil Meche going from a 4-5 starter to the "ace" of the Royals, and he's been exactly that pitcher they projected (around a 2 ERA) but they're still well off the pace.

 

Why did the Royals make that move? To show they were again a legitimate, viable "breathing" franchise. Well, the White Sox need to prove to their fans that they're going to be a "player" in the future of the AL Central or if we're going back to Maybe These Kids Can Play, Version 4.

 

Signing Buehrle makes sense because...

 

1) He's been a critical part of our franchise his entire career

2) We're not going to end up keeping Crede, the other "born and bred" Sox player

3) He's very durable, and still in his prime, as opposed to Vazquez and Contreras

4) He's representative of the "blue collar" work ethic Sox fans most identify with

5) He doesn't have a violent motion or pitch that creates maximum torque like the Liriano slider or Felix Hernandez slurve

6) He's lefthanded and would be a great tutor/mentor for Danks and Gio

7) Any pitcher you can name that we would trade for (Peavy, Oswalt, etc.) would cost us way too much

8) All indications are he would like to come back if the White Sox make a "fair" offer near market value

 

It makes so much sense...it probably won't get done.