If this divisional match-up was conducted back in July, it very well could have been Francisco Liriano versus Brandon McCarthy. But Liriano?s elbow gave out, forcing him to undergo Tommy John surgery and McCarthy?s stock declined and GM Ken Williams dealt him to Texas. Instead, we pit Paul Konerko against Johan Santana, two players that have been as consistently impressive as anyone in the MLB over the past three seasons. These are also two players that their original teams let get away; Konerko was originally drafted by the Dodgers, while the Astros let Santana go in the rule 5 draft (Florida went on to trade him along with cash for Jared Camp). The Case for Konerko In eight full MLB seasons, Konerko has developed into one of the game?s most professional sluggers. His numbers (lifetime .849 OPS) are not on par with future Hall of Fame right-handed hitters such as Manny Ramirez, Alex Rodriguez or Vladimir Guerrero, but he has been every bit as good offensively as cross-town rival, Derrek Lee. Konerko, along with Jermaine Dye and Jim Thome, make up one of the most lethal 3-4-5 combinations in the game. Dye had a career season in 2006, while Thome had a return to form and while his teammates put up better numbers than he did, Konerko had another highly productive year, better than when was he fifth in the MVP voting a year ago (his 2006 stat line was actually very close to Justin Morneau?s). Konerko is also a proven commodity in the clutch, hitting a go-ahead grand slam in the 7th inning of Game 2 of the 2005 World Series. The Case against Konerko Konerko will turn 31 during Spring Training, so to be generous; he is at the midway point in his career. He already loves the outside pitch (particularly high and away), so as years go on and his bat speed slows, the inside pitch will become a bigger chore to deal with. He will likely become the team?s designated hitter upon Jim Thome?s departure, which really can?t come soon enough for the White Sox from a defensive standpoint. Konerko is one of the two or three worst defensive first basemen in the game and has been so for several seasons. The Case for Santana Santana made his MLB debut in 2000, where he developed his craft primarily as a long reliever. Most recently, Santana won the Triple Crown in 2006, a feat accomplished by just Randy Johnson, Pedro Martinez, Roger Clemens (two times), Doc Gooden, Steve Carlton and Sandy Koufax since 1946. He also had an MLB-best WHIP of 0.997. He has excellent velocity on his fastball, registering it consistently in the mid-nineties. His other two pitches are a high-eighties slurve and a masterful changeup. Santana is excellent at masking his pitches, particularly so with the changeup. The changeup arrives some 20 MPH slower than the fastball, but the arm action is so similar that batters cannot adjust spot it until it comes. He learned the pitch from Bobby Cuellar, who was also influential in the careers of Johnson and Martinez. Barring injury, he will certainly join Koufax, Carlton, Johnson and Warren Spahn as a top-five left-handed pitcher of all-time. The Case against Santana The best case against Santana might be the philosophical debate about whether or not it is best to start a franchise with someone who plays in only 20% of your games. That is a question for every starting pitcher and something that you will have to worry about on your own. Santana?s ERA has been more consistent than any other pitcher during the past three seasons, but he hasn?t hit an extreme low like the 1.87 Roger Clemens put up in 2005 or even Jake Peavy?s 2.27 in 2004. Santana's low came in 2004 when he had an ERA of 2.61. He also has a tendency to come out of games earlier than other frontline pitchers. He has been first or second in total innings pitched over the past three seasons, but only has five career complete games. Compare that to 15 career complete games from Dontrelle Willis and 12 from Chris Carpenter the past two seasons. When Santana?s pitch count gets above 75, his effectiveness undergoes a stunning and rapid decline.