Chicago White Sox

ESPN.com is reporting that Adam Dunn, the slugging on-base machine most recently with the Washington Nationals, has signed a four-year $56 million deal to play on the south side of Chicago.

When Chicago White Sox GM Kenny Williams needs some talent, he's proved that he'd rather harvest players from other clubs than go the home grown route.

Williams' strategy over the years has been to use Chicago's farm system to pick up more experienced commodities.

Look at how the current roster is constructed.  Mark Buehrle is the only starting pitcher that came through the White Sox system.  Of the everyday starters last season, just Gordon Beckham was drafted by the team and was developed in the minors.

The Chicago White Sox General Manager has some tough choices in the coming months.

The White Sox, who currently have a payroll of over $105 million, have nine free agents and four arbitration eligible players on whom decisions will have to be made. Some will return to the fold in 2011, while others will be wished the best and sent off to seek different Major League employment (or start exploring that life after baseball thing).

Life is full of tough choices; let's start making some.

When it comes to likability, Mark Buehrle is at the top of the list.

From his sliding on the tarp during rain delays to the way errors never seem to bother him, Mark Buehrle is an easy guy to root for.

However, as we start to examine the 2011 White Sox and how they can be improved this offseason, the fan-friendly southpaw starts to stand out as a potential weakness in the rotation.

Name the infield for the 2005 Chicago White Sox.

You have that jerk at catcher A.J. Pierzynski, who everyone knows. Paul Konerko, of course, Juan Uribe before his backside developed its own zip code, and Joe Crede.

Who was that one guy at second base? Why can't I remember his name? He was Asian, wasn't he?

Tadahito Iguchi.

358 home runs and 1,127 RBIs over 12 seasons in a White Sox uniform ought to be enough for any player to be beloved by the entire White Sox Nation.

However, for reasons I can't pin down, Paul Konerko is not revered universally by White Sox fans the way someone like Frank Thomas is.

With Konerko's free agency on the horizon there has been a lot of talk about resigning the 34-year-old first baseman not because of his stellar 2010 season, rather because he is the "face of the White Sox."

Though the Sox exceeded the expectations of many pre-season predictions, they still finished a distant second to the Twins and enter the off-season with some work to do.

Before we even talk about making any upgrades to the roster, the Sox have several major decisions to make regarding their current players. The team already has a number of sizable salary commitments and would need to make a few more to keep this same core together.

Money will be a big theme this off-season, and Kenny Williams will probably have to creative to improve this team.

Clayton Richard- 13-9, 3.71 ERA

Clayton has been a big part of the Padres' first place pitching staff. He has racked up nearly 200 innings while giving his team a chance to win. I've heard numerous Sox fans wishing he were still in our rotation this season.

However, I don't think he's that big a loss based on a few factors.

Probably not, but I figured someone owed Paul Konerko some publicity since ESPN often either forgets to do actual reporting and research or simply forgets to be logical.

As of Wednesday, Miguel Cabrera is out for the season due to a sprained ankle, so his numbers are concrete at .328 BA, .420 OBP, .622 SLG, and a 1.042 OPS to go along with 38 home runs, 126 RBI, 111 runs, and three stolen bases in 150 games played.

Before last night's poor performance against the Red Sox, Kenny Williams assured fans that the White Sox would not be "rebuilding" next season.

"In our minds, it's still with the mindset of trying to win. Once you start using the R word, you create a different kind of mindset. I think a part of what we've done here is making sure our players understand that whatever the composition of the team is, it's designed to win."

This is simultaneously one of the things I love about Williams and one of the things I loathe.