Deal or no Deal - Mark Buehrle
The White Sox are playing awful right now, and are essentially giving up on their season. This means that they are ready to start trading away the guys that they aren’t going to have on the team next year anyway. One of these guys is Mark Buehrle, their left handed starting pitcher. He is 28, and has always played for the White Sox since first being called up when he was 21. He is a 3 time all star and finished 5th in Cy Young voting in 2004. He has a career 3.80 ERA and a K/BB ration of 2.57 - very effective. He is 4-4 this year, and one of those wins was a no-hitter. He is definitely a proven major league pitcher, and would be a great addition to nearly any team. And he is left handed as well, which is makes him even more valuable.
Perhaps the most important reason to get Buehrle is so that the Yankees don’t. But, is it worth giving up your top prospects for this guy? The Sox don’t really need another starter unless we do in fact think that Curt Schilling’s injury is more serious. Jon Lester is waiting in the wings, and Kason Gabbard has shown that he can handle a major league lineup. The Sox can get through this year without needing him. But what about in the future? The White Sox are asking for guys like Jacoby Ellsbury and Clay Buchholz - guys who are supposed to be major components of the Sox in the near future. If Buchholz really is the real deal, there is no reason to give him up in order to fill a future need anyway.
Buehrle isn’t quite the caliber pitcher of a Josh Beckett type, where, when you have a chance to get him, you do it. But he is a solid pitcher, and age isn’t an issue since he is only 28. I’d rather have Buehrle in the rotation next year instead of Curt Schilling.
If the price is right, the Sox are foolish not to take this guy. But if we have to give up too much of the future, it probably isn’t worth it, and I am going to guess that the White Sox are going to get more from a team like the Mets or Atlanta who has a glaring need for some starting pitching this year. For them, it could be the difference in making the playoffs this year or not, where for the Sox, its more about the future.
We’ve seen the Sox walk away from deals that would help them in the near-term (see their awful season last year) so I don’t see why they would do the deal trading away their prospects this year when they need it less. But if they can get away without giving up too much, the deal is a no-brainer. Without details of the asking price for the guy, its hard to say right now, but keep your ears open becuase you may have a new left handed pitcher in the rotation very soon, and it looks like it isn’t going to be Jon Lester.
Stumble it!