In the aftermath of the season’s yearlong frustration and missing the playoffs for a third consecutive year, the question inevitably remains if either Manager Ozzie Guillen or General Manager Kenny Williams are done with the Chicago White Sox. The obvious disappointment has the organization scattering for direction that may have both searching for new jobs. Williams’ $127 million payroll that merely mustered inconsistent baseball and decreased attendance now has the club staring at further uncertainty heading into next year.

At 32, veteran pitcher Mark Buehrle figures to continue his trademark consistency that he’s showcased since 2000. Whether he plays for the only team he’s known though, remains an unnecessary issue heading into his free agency. In a rotation that could feature John Danks, Gavin Floyd, Jake Peavy and newly acquired prospect Zach Stewart or 22 year old Chris Sale, Buehrle easily figures as being the obvious leader and continued ace.

Stacking lefthander Chris Sale alongside Buehrle and not seeking to replace a proven winner seems like baseball commonsense that hopefully registers on 35th and Shields this off-season.

The only credible baseball solution is to keep Buehrle. In 11 full seasons, Buehrle’s averaged 14 wins, held his ERA at 3.81 and has gobbled up on average 223 innings per season. First-ballot Hall of Famer Greg Maddux averaged 17 wins and 229 innings over his dominant 11 year run with the Atlanta Braves (1993 to 2003). With similar command, efficiency and a fastball south of 90 MPH, Buehrle is likely to continue performing just as Maddux did who won 131 games (a 16 games per season average) from the age 33 through 40.

The question marks don’t end with Buehrle for Williams as other players too will be left wondering how they fit in next year. All-star slugger Carlos Quentin, now 29, is likely to test his free agency and as will lead-off man Juan Pierre who’s presumably headed elsewhere in spite of his turnaround effort and being one of Guillen’s clubhouse favorites. Sorting through the underperforming, bloated payroll will be no easy matter for Williams. AAA Charlotte call-up’s Alejandro De Aza, slugger Dayan Viciedo and catcher Tyler Flowers have also added to the mix of uncertainty with their strong contributions that deserve the test of a full season. Going forward though, a ...