The first order of business for the Chicago White Sox will be deciding whether to pick up the option years on shortstop Juan Uribe, outfielder/first baseman Darin Erstad and reliever Mike Myers, as well as figuring out what to do with outfielder Scott Podsednik, who is eligible for arbitration for one more year.

If the Sox pick up Uribe for $5 million, there goes the possibility of a David Eckstein signing. With Detroit likely to get involved in the sweepstakes for the St. Louis shortstop, the Sox might be outbid anyway.

No Eckstein would mean there’s likely no leadoff hitter coming from outside the organization, making Jerry Owens and Danny Richar the leading candidates.

The Cubs on the other hand need more pitching.  This years free agent crop is slim. 

Many of the Chicago Cubs have contracts that are unmovable, and Alfonso Soriano’s deal is on that list, but the one they might be able to unload is the four years and $62 million remaining on the contract of Aramis Ramirez.

The third baseman is overrated defensively, moves only when it seems to suit him, has taken to running out fewer and fewer groundballs and deep flies, and, as you witnessed last week, is a selfish situational hitter.

If you can move Ramirez and sign Alex Rodriguez, how much better would you be?