With Mark Buehrle on the Hall of Fame ballot, here are a few more notes about his career

Mark Buehrle

Objectively speaking, Mark Buehrle is a longshot candidate to make the National Baseball Hall of Fame. He is a White Sox great, without a doubt, but I'm not entirely sure he'll get the 5% of votes needed to remain on the Hall ballot in this, his first year of eligibility.

But here a few notes that might cause voters to more strongly consider Buerhle's Hall case:

1. In the history of baseball, there have been four pitchers who have thrown two no-hitters and posted at least 15 double-digit-win seasons: Nolan Ryan, Randy Johnson, Warren Spahn and ... Mark Buehrle.

2. In the history of baseball, there have been four pitchers who have thrown 200 or more innings in 14 consecutive seasons: Greg Maddux, Phil Niekro, Christy Mathewson and ... Mark Buehrle.

3. In the history of baseball, there have been three pitchers who have pitched a no-hitter, pitched a perfect game and won a World Series all with the same team: Cy Young, Sandy Koufax and ... Mark Buehrle.

What do Ryan, Johnson, Spahn, Maddux, Niekro, Mathewson, Young and Koufax all have in common? They are all in the Hall of Fame. In fact, the only pitcher mentioned in this blog entry who is not in the Hall of Fame is ... Mark Buehrle.

So, trading for Max Scherzer worked out well for the Tigers

I often say it's hard to make snap judgments when a trade is made. You often need three or four years before you can decide whether a particular deal is good or bad for the parties involved.

It's now been four years since the Detroit Tigers acquired right-hander Max Scherzer as part of a three-team deal with the New York Yankees and the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Arizona gave up Scherzer in that trade, and I'll bet that's a move they still lament to this day. On Wednesday, Scherzer was named the Cy Young Award winner in the American League by a landslide. He received 28 of the 30 first-place votes.

Scherzer, the lone 20-game winner in baseball this year, finished the season 21-3 with a 2.90 ERA for the AL Central champion Tigers. He easily outdistanced second-place finisher Yu Darvish in the voting.

Let's go back and look at that trade from December of 2009.

The Tigers traded pitcher Edwin Jackson and outfielder Curtis Granderson and received Scherzer, outfielder Austin Jackson and relief pitchers Phil Coke and Daniel Schlereth.

The Yankees dealt pitcher Ian Kennedy, Coke and Austin Jackson and acquired Granderson.

The Diamondbacks gave up Scherzer and Schlereth and got Edwin Jackson and Kennedy.

If you're an Arizona fan, are you gagging yet?

Edwin Jackson had a brutal year for the Diamondbacks in 2010. He's played for three teams since. Currently, he's the Cubs' problem. Kennedy did have a couple good years in Arizona, including one very good year in 2011, but he's since fallen on hard times. The Diamondbacks traded him to San Diego for spare parts and future considerations in a midseason deal this past summer.

Likewise, the Yankees got a couple good years out of Granderson, but he had an injury-plagued 2013. He's a free agent this offseason and is likely headed elsewhere.

Meanwhile, the Tigers got a legitimate top-of-the-rotation starter in Scherzer and a leadoff hitter and top-notch center fielder in Austin Jackson.

Shrewd move by Detroit. The Tigers have made more good moves than bad over the last five years, and that's why they go to the playoffs every season.

Kershaw wins NL Cy Young

The National League Cy Young Award voting was also one-sided. Los Angeles Dodgers left-hander Clayton Kershaw was a slam-dunk choice, earning 29 of 30 first-place votes.

Kershaw finished 16-9 for the NL West champions, and his 1.83 ERA was the best mark by any qualifying pitcher in the last 13 years.