The Mark Buehrle contract will get done. It has to get done. The difference between Buehrle and the White Sox -- a year-and-a-half of no-trade protection -- is too small for the deal to collapse. The Sox are offering Buehrle a full no-trade clause for 2008, the first year of his proposed four-year, $56 million contract extension. Buehrle, 28, would become a 10-and-5 player -- 10 years of major-league service, five with the same club -- in July of 2010, giving him the power to veto any deal. Bridging the gap shouldn't be all that difficult. Just do it with money. The Sox could increase the average annual value of Buehrle's deal. They could include a multi-million dollar bonus if he is traded. ... The difficult part is over. The deal will get done.
And he confirms that Tampa is interested in our pitching:
Williams, for example, has talked with the Devil Rays about his available starting pitchers -- Buehrle, Contreras and right-hander Javier Vazquez. In each case, the Devil Rays could either flip the pitcher they acquired or retain him as a veteran anchor, presumably with the White Sox including significant money in the trade. That's just one possibility; Williams probably has had similar conversations with 20 other clubs. In any case, he almost certainly would use the Buehrle signing as a launching point for other moves.
significant money?