For some reason, a lot of people have recently been asking me what my favorite sport is. “Baseball,” I reply. I then get puzzled looks and the cliché “baseball is so boring, though” response. 

I cannot exactly pinpoint why it is my favorite sport, but the 162-game schedule allows for teams to catch on fire after previous cold stretches. It also helps, for me, that attending baseball games is quite cheap, as the White Sox have reasonable prices. I am a broke college student, after all. 

As the days in summer go by, I can’t help but wonder about the potential storylines that might come to be. My personal biggest one: Can my White Sox actually win the division? I realize the Detroit Tigers will probably win the Central, but I can be cautiously optimistic in April, right? 

The last time the Sox made the postseason was in 2008, when they lost to the upstart Tampa Bay Rays. Their closer in the postseason was David Price, who just last year won the Cy Young as a starter. I feel sorry for Tampa Bay fans: They have a solid team with stars like Price and Evan Longoria, and young pitchers in Matt Moore and Jeremy Hellickson, but their financial situation stinks. Not enough fans travel to Tropicana Field because of its awkward location. The Rays are 27th in payroll and if they falter in July, will they trade Price? He does become a free agent in three years and his value is at its highest. 

One potential suitor for Price could be the New York Yankees, who have no pitching behind C.C. Sabathia. In fact, this team is in disarray. Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Curtis Granderson and Mark Teixeria are on the disabled list. And quite frankly, they are old. Seriously, they have Lyle Overbay playing first base. 

Second baseman Robinson Cano might not be re-signed. Yes, things are not looking good for the Bronx Bombers; I do not see them making the playoffs. 

They could also target some outfield help, such as 23-year-old slugger Giancarlo Stanton. 

Miami Marlins owner Jeffery Loria is the worst owner in baseball. He has consistently torn up his teams because he’s cheap. He lied to the fan base to build a new ballpark, only to field a team of no-names, aside from Stanton.

Trading Stanton is something that is in the Marlins’ tradition. The Yankees consistently have a strong farm system, so they could theoretically put together a nice package for Price or Stanton.

While Loria is a bad owner, Cubs new(ish) owner Tom Ricketts is looking to turn things around at Wrigley. He hired Theo Epstein and recently secured the rights to renovate Wrigley so the team can bring in more revenue. 

This also means the Cubs are strong contenders to land Price. Epstein and general manager Jed Hoyer have built up the Cubs farm system. But any package will no doubt have to include minor league shortstop Javier Baez and young standout Anthony Rizzo. 

It’s tough to say how much the Cubs will give up to acquire pitching, which they desperately need. But they will likely draft a pitcher with the No. 2 pick in June’s draft, perhaps Stanford stud Mark Appel or Oklahoma’s Jonathan Grey.

The Cubs might be looking to emulate what the Los Angeles Dodgers did, negotiating a lucrative local TV rights to net the team lots of money. The Dodgers’ payroll is about $220 million, according to ESPN, compared with a $114 million payroll in 2012. They will have no trouble signing ace Clayton Kershaw to a long-term contract. When he signs, Kershaw will be the highest paid pitcher, if not player, in the league. 

These are only some of the storylines for this upcoming summer. Obviously more will be discussed as teams falter or heat up down the stretch. 

In the first week of the season I had texted my friend, who is a diehard Cubs fan as evidenced by the logo tattooed on his leg. I told him I was worried the Sox were throwing games away.

“In comparison the highlight of the Cubs season will be draft day,” he replied. 

While the Sox might not win the division, they won’t be as bad as the Cubs. That is something to look forward to. 

Erik is a junior in Media. He can be reached at [email protected] . Follow him on Twitter at @e_prada.