WHITE SOX HAVE CHECKED IN ON JUSTIN MASTERSON

We don't know who it's going to be, or how he's going to get here, but at some point the White Sox are going to get a right-handed starting pitcher this winter. The current starting rotation consists of Chris Sale, Jose Quintana, John Danks and then there's Carlos Rodon waiting in the wings. Should Danks not be traded at some point, that's four lefty starters in the rotation.

That's not really a terrible thing, but you want to find a righty to throw in there somewhere, and the Sox just don't have a realistic option available aside from Hector Noesi, but you don't want to go into next season guaranteeing Noesi anything.

So Rick Hahn will find a starter, and I like where his head is at according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer. The paper says the White Sox have "inquired" on Justin Masterson. This is an idea I can get behind.

Masterson was bad in 2014, his contract year. He finished the season 7-9 with a 5.88 ERA. This was after he went 14-10 with a 3.45 ERA in 2013. I happen to think he's a very good low-risk, high-reward kind of option for the Sox this winter.

The question is whether or not Masterson is a legitimate bounce back candidate as a pitcher. It's not like he had a long track record of success before the 2013 season and saw things fall apart last year. If you look at his career as a whole it's the 2013 season that looks like the anomaly, not 2014. 

His 3.45 ERA, 1.202 WHIP, 3.35 FIP and 9.1 K/9 in 2013 were all career bests. It's just I don't think 2014 is a true reflection of the kind of pitcher Masterson actually is.

Plus, the story indicates that teams that have checked in on Masterson (and that includes the entire AL Central, not just the White Sox) are all looking for a two-year deal with Masterson. Justin is more inclined to sign a one-year "prove it" deal and head into free agency again next winter in search of a big contract.

So offer him the one-year deal, White Sox. There's almost nothing to lose by doing so, as only two things can happen. Either Masterson pitches well an the Sox find themselves competing for a division title, or the Sox aren't competing and come July you move Masterson in a trade for prospects. If he's not pitching well and you can't trade him, you aren't obligated to keep him around after 2015 anyway, so you just cut bait at the end of the season and move on.

So just go do it already, Hahn. Get the deal done and then try to move Danks in a trade and find another, longer term option like Brandon McCarthy to pair with Masterson in the rotation.

You have to admit that a Sale-Quintana-McCarthy-Masterson-Danks/Noesi/Rodon rotation could prove to work out rather well.