You may remember me from such bold predictions as the acquisitions of Davidson and Eaton and the departures of Santiago and Reed. http://www.southsidesox.com/2013/11/4/5067274/your-three-moves. So now this years plan.

GOALS:

• Don't empty the cupboard. We've made strides with our talent so try to make some progress without depleting too much. Any trades of cost controlled talent should return cost controlled talent.
• Improve the defense. We were third to last in defensive WAR.
• A couple arms to stabilize the bullpen. I like our bullpen, but their inexperience really showed last year. I don't want to tear it apart because there are good arms, we just need a dedicated closer and a better lefty.
• Don't go nuts spending. It's taken time to clear off some dead money so I don't want to put us back in the same situation. I'm going to spend but limit the long term commitments.
• Strengthen the bench.
• Improve BB rate, decrease SO rate

ARBITRATION ELIGIBLE

• Ronald Belisario, $3.9M - non-tender
• Tyler Flowers, $2.1M - tender
  
• Dayan Viciedo, $4.4M - non-tender
  
• Hector Noesi, $1.9M - tender
  
• Nate Jones, $600,000 - tender
  
• Javy Guerra $1.3M - tender

CONTRACT OPTIONS

Felipe Paulino - Buyout

FREE AGENTS (re-sign or let go?)

Lindstrom - Let Go

SIGNING

• 3B Chase Headley - 5 Years, $85m. Signing Headley improves the defense, brings us a switch hitter with a 10% career walk rate and allows us to use Gillaspie at 3B, DH and 1B, strengthening our bench. I'm not scared of his long term commitment because a lot of his value is in his defense and BB rate, which should be more sustainable than ones hitting. His price is going to be high with Red Sox, Dodgers, Giants and Yankees all possibly in the 3B market.

TRADES

• Daniel Webb, Carlos Sanchez and Matt Davidson to Philadelphia for Jonathan Papelbon ($13m/yr, 1 year with vesting option) and Jake Diekman (prearb). White Sox would assume the remainder of Papelbon's contract. This brings us the closer we need and a lefty that is awesome. Davidson and Sanchez are in surplus positions with the signing of Headley and our 2B depth.
• Erik Surkamp to Pittsburgh for Travis Snider. Snider had a lot of hype in the Blue Jays system but hadn't panned out, but looks to have started to turn things around in Pittsburgh. He's left handed, walks at about a 9% rate, has 2 years left of control and UZR loves him in LF. Pittsburgh has outfield depth, Snider will get a little more expensive and they can always use pitching.
• Cleuluis Rondon and Chris Beck to Arizona for Trevor Cahill ($12m, $13m opt, $13.5m opt) and Didi Gregorious. The Cahill contract doesn't kill Arizona but the new front office might like dumping it and they have a surplus of infielders. Cahill's contract won't kill us and the options limit our long term risk. Gregorious gives us defensive depth and our SS of the future. A defensive first SS and a ground ball pitcher for a defensive first SS and a ground ball pitcher.

LINEUP

• CF Eaton
• 3B Headley
• 1B Abreu
• RF Garcia
• SS Ramirez
• LF Snider
• 2B Semien
• DH Gillaspie
• CA Flowers

BENCH

• OF Sierra
• CA Phegley
• IF Gregorious
• OF/IF Garcia

ROTATION

• LH Sale
• LH Quintana
• RH Cahill
• LH Danks
• RH Noesi

BULLPEN

• CL Papelbon
• LH Diekman
• RH Putnam
• RH Petricka
• RH Guerra
• RH Cleto
• RH Sanburn
• RP Carroll

That puts me around $103m. Not sure how realistic my trades are. Headley was the only long term commitment in the group, so we still have long term financial flexibility. I kept Montas, Danish, Rodon and Adams as well as Anderson, Hawkins and Micah Johnson. Someone on the bench will have to learn to play 1B. I feel like I accomplished my goals and fielded a competitive team.

How many wins does this team have?