"Let the offseason posturing begin.

The White Sox announced before Tuesday's 11 p.m. deadline that they offered salary arbitration to free agents Paul Konerko and J.J. Putz, but declined that same offer to catcher A.J. Pierzynski and designated hitter Manny Ramirez.

What does it mean for the 2011 Opening Day roster? Well, actually nothing yet. All it means is that if Konerko or Putz sign elsewhere, the Sox are compensated with draft picks -- two for Konerko, one for Putz. It does show their hand a bit, however, with the team counting on Konerko and Putz drawing enough interest from other organizations on a multiyear deal. Neither player seemed real interested in working out a one-year contract with the Sox, especially not at this point in their careers.

Konerko, who also found out he finished fifth in the American League MVP voting Tuesday, was very specific in that he was hoping that his next deal might be his last.

As for Pierzynski, the two sides seem to be tangled in a game of chicken. The Sox still can negotiate with Pierzynski but have taken an arbitrator out of the mix if it came to that. Even with free-agent catcher Victor Martinez joining the Detroit Tigers, the Sox are hoping that there won't be a swell of interest for Pierzynski and that the two sides can find mutual ground."