Chris Sale is coming off a 2015 campaign where he recorded 274 strikeouts, passing Ed Walsh (269) for most in franchise history in a single season.
Sale understands the magnitude of his accomplishment, but the White Sox ace is hoping to add another piece to his resume in 2016: a ticket to October baseball.
"I've said it a million times, this is a team game. Individual stats and accolades and awards really only go so far in a team game," Sale told CSN's Chuck Garfien in a 1-on-1 sit down interview. "Would I trade it in to be in the postseason? Absolutely, yes. Would I trade it in for a bag of Skittles? Probably not."
Fair enough. The White Sox haven't been to the postseason since 2008.
Last offseason brought attention to the South Side when they added big names like Melky Cabrera, Jeff Samardzija and Nate Robertson.
But this year, the White Sox have quietly made the moves they needed without putting as much of a target on their back, and Sale is totally fine with that.
"Good, let us keep sneaking through," said Sale. "I think there's a highlighter on us anyways just being in the same division as the (Kansas City) Royals and them going and winning the World Series — being there two years in a row and winning it. The AL Central is tough. It's up for grabs. ...It's anyone's game.
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"We legitmately have anybody in our division that can come up for grabs and take it. So it's about going and getting it."
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The White Sox acquired third baseman Todd Frazier via trade and signed infielder Brett Lawrie in December, which helps the team on both sides of the ball. The White Sox get a strong bat in Frazier while addressing that upgrade at third base they have so desperately been looking for. Lawrie's versatility also gives Robin Ventura's group some options to shuffle things around if they need to.
Nonetheless, Sale is pretty pumped about the acquisitions.
"I just got done watching that dude win a home run derby, so I was more thinking about balls flying out of left field," Sale said of Frazier. "(Frazier and Lawrie) are bringing athleticism (and) fire. They're as good as they get.
"Watching Lawrie, I've been a fan of him since the first day I watched him play. That guy never stops moving. He is ready to make the best play at any given time. There's never a non-moving part with him. He's always locked in and he's so focused on the game and it's fun to watch.
"It's nice to know that you have guys behind you that will do anything in their power to make that play not for themselves but for us as a team and for me as a pitcher and you can't ask for anything more than that."