Mark Buehrle: Rumors Flying...

The news on Mark Buehrle is all over the place today...I don't even know where to begin.

First off, Boston being the frontrunner for Buehrle was never actually the case; apparently, it was planted by the White Sox front office. I do believe the Red Sox looked into trading for him, at least when Schilling hit the DL, but there was no way a deal between the two teams was ever actually getting made.

This morning, MLB Trade Rumors reported that Buehrle was close to signing a four-year, $50 million deal. Personally, I think that would actually be a good signing by the ChiSox; it's true that Buehrle isn't an ace or even a #2 starter, but in this market, experienced #3 starters make eight figures a year. Buehrle probably won't succeed late into his career, as his K rate is already really low, but keeping the contract relatively short helps that. It'll be paying a little more than what you'll actually get, but that's what you have to do. Apparently PECOTA isn't as optimistic about this deal from the team's point of view, though...

But this evening, some more confusion was created; MLBTR again wrote that the two parties were nowhere near as close to agreeing on an extension as some thought. 4/50 did seem kind of cheap, given the market we're in; Buehrle could probably get something in the 5/70 range this winter. We'll wait and see if some more information comes out, but right now there really isn't any definitive info to be had.