Opinion

SAN DIEGO — You looked at the foundation pieces of the Chicago White Sox. You watched as ace Chris Sale finished third in American League Cy Young voting. You watched as Jose Abreu was chosen as the unanimous Rookie of the Year and finished fourth in AL MVP voting.

This is a team, you thought, that is not far away.

As Monday night bled into Tuesday morning, it became apparent the White Sox are thinking the exact same thing.

You know that old saying about how you can never have too much pitching?

It would seem that the 2014-2015 Major League Baseball offseason is intent on putting that to the test.

You'll recall one of the main storylines at the start of the winter was the wealth of high-end pitchers on the free-agent market. Max Scherzer, Jon Lester and James Shields were available. So were Ervin Santana, Francisco Liriano and Brandon McCarthy.

And we’re off.

If it wasn't clear after the additions of Zach Duke and Adam LaRoche, it's definitely clear after the latest addition:

The Chicago White Sox are going for it in 2015.

The Chicago Cubs aren't messing around. If that wasn't clear already, the first day of Major League Baseball's winter meetings in San Diego brought it into sharp, undeniable focus. 

One month in, Major League Baseball's free-agent market hasn't been lacking for action. Per ESPN.com, over $600 million has already been spent on free-agent contracts.

But by now, you've probably noticed the weirdness. If not, it's like this: Though the open market is saturated with quality pitching—particularly starting pitching—it's hitters who are hogging the cash so far.

In case you hadn't heard, the New York Yankees needed a new shortstop for 2015. Derek Jeter's retirement has left a void that will be impossible for anyone to replace, given his standing with fans and Hall of Fame credentials, but the front office addressed the situation in the best possible way. 

The New York Yankees landed one of the better free agents in the pond Friday. The problem is he does not make them much better.

History suggests the St. Louis Cardinals rarely go all-in during the offseason.

Last offseason, the Detroit Tigers traded away Doug Fister. This time around, Rick Porcello could be the one to go.