They basically have the entire team signed for next year.
The only REALLY important free agent is Konerko.......and I think he'll be back. Here is why:
Konerko had the ball from the last out. And for the past 2 days everyone (media) has been asking him where is the ball? What are you gonna do with it? Paul kept saying, don't worry I have it and it's not going anywhere, I'm keeping it. I saw things claiming the irony of this after what happened last year, with the Red Sox. So Konerko was talking to the crowd and called up Jerry Reinsdorf, the Sox owner. Then Jerry came up and Paul pulled the ball out of his pocket and gave it to Jerry. He almost started crying. He got all teary eyed and had to take a minute before he could talk. He then said that was the best thing anyone has done for him and that this is the most emotional day of his life. You tell me that isn't huge symbolically, since it's those two guys that have to sign off on the new contract when all is said and done.
Here is how it breaks down:
Buerhle - Under contract.
Garland - Up for salary arbitration, going nowhere.
Garcia = Under contract.
Contraras = Under contract.
Hernandez = Under contract.
That right there is your starting rotation, the best/deepest in baseball, all coming back. You have Brandon McCarthy (who shut out the Red Sox and Rangers both in the final weeks of the season remember), fighting for a spot in there too. I could MAYBE see a trade of a starting pitcher for a DH or solid bat, but either way they are deeper than any team in the league in starting pitching.
Hermanson = Under contract.
Cotts = Club sets salary (too little seniority for arbitration).
Politte = Club option for $1.2M, they will do it.
Jenks = Club sets salary (too little seniority for arbitration).
There is the heart of your bullpen, all coming back.
Pierzynski = Salary arbitration, will be back.
Iguchi = Under contract.
Uribe = Under contract.
Crede = Salary arbitration, will be back.
Podsednik = Under contract.
Rowand = Under contract.
Dye = Under contract.
That is ALL of your starting position players, except Konerko.
You have Konerko as a free agent, and Thomas and Everett with buyouts. Brian Anderson and several of the other key back-ups will all be back. Basically, if the Sox lock up Konerko, the only change they will have next year is a tweak at DH, or maybe sliding McCarthy into the starting rotation in place of Hernandez. The scary thing is, if you go through their ENTIRE team, the only key guy whose numbers were much better than his career averages was Garland, and he is young, and this could be the Garland that you will see pitching the next 5-10 years. The way it seems now, the Sox stand to have a VERY strong team next year too.