Am I the only one who sees Buehrle as a Greg Maddux-type? You know, a solid pitcher who doesn't overpower, relies on control/his fielders more often than not, can pitch a ton of innings and will pitch until he's quite a few years old?

I would say that, or Tom Glavine-ish.

Man, I would hate to see Buerhle leave. The guy is as reliable as the sunrise, is still in his prime and is a great teammate and person to boot.

 

The first thing I thought when I heard about Contreras' 3-year extension was: That could mean there's less money in future budgets for Buerhle.

 

I understand what Kenny Williams was thinking -- namely, that the market for good starting pitchers is tight, so lock 'em up. But I'm generally wary about giving pitchers in their mid-30s (Contreras is 34, at least) what amounts to a 4-year contract. Especially when you've got a much younger and much cheaper Brandon McCarthy all ready to go.

 

In my opinion, the 2008 Sox rotation should be anchored by Buerhle (who'll still be only 29 then), McCarthy and probably Garland. The key is deciding who to let go out of the group of Garcia, Contreras and Vazquez, all of whom are at least two years older than Buerhle.

 

The last thing I want to hear from the Sox management in the winter of 2007 is this: "We'd love to sign Mark, but we just can't afford him with our financial commitments to our other starting pitchers."

 

Now, obviously, I'm looking way into the future here. But winning a World Series has suddenly made planning for long-term success more realistic. Ain't it grand?