TUCSON, Ariz. -- Mark Buehrle has emerged as one of the AL's best young pitchers, going 35-20 with a 3.44 ERA over the last two years and making the All-Star team last season.

	Buehrle

As of Monday, though, he still didn't have a contract.

The White Sox agreed to one-year deals with 23 of their pre-arbitration players Monday, leaving Buehrle as the only player without a contract. His agent, Jeff Berry, arrived in Tucson on Monday, and he and the White Sox have until March 11 to agree on a new contract before the team renews him.

"We just don't think the offer's right,'' Buehrle said. "I'm not against signing. It's not like I want to go through arbitration next year, it's just we haven't agreed on the right deal.''

Buehrle won 19 games last season, the most victories by a White Sox pitcher since Jack McDowell won 22 in 1993, and ranked among AL leaders in wins, shutouts and innings pitched. But with only two full seasons in the majors, the left-hander isn't eligible for arbitration until next year.

The White Sox have an established salary structure for their pre-arbitration players. In the past five years, only one player -- Buehrle -- has had a contract renewed. He was renewed at $310,000 last year after turning down an offer of $325,000.

His renewal this year likely would be at around $430,000.

"A player accepting a renewal is not something that we wish to do,'' assistant general manager Rick Hahn said. "What's important for us is that we're fair not only in rewarding the players for what they've accomplished, but also in being consistent year to year.''

But the White Sox and Buehrle might be looking at two different things.

The White Sox go by what they've done in the past. When Magglio Ordonez hit .301 and made the All-Star team in 1999, he got $435,000 from the White Sox. He avoided arbitration the following year with a $3.75 million deal, and then signed a $29.5 million, three-year deal in July 2001.

Paul Konerko made $305,000 in 2000, and then avoided salary arbitration with a $6.1 million, two-year deal in January 2001. He signed a $23 million, three-year deal last summer.

"(The agents) understand this what the White Sox do,'' Hahn said. "It's better than some, it might be less than some. But it's fair and consistent based upon what they've done in the past.''

But Buehrle also is looking at what other young, promising players have gotten. Indians pitcher C.C. Sabathia, also a lefty, got a $9.5 million, four-year deal after his rookie season that could be worth up to $19.75 million over five years.

Albert Pujols, the 2001 NL Rookie of the Year, got a one-year, $600,000 deal last year.

"I told them last year if they gave me the C.C. Sabathia deal, I would have signed it,'' Buehrle said. "They wouldn't even come close. So I just put it behind me and pitched the year and didn't worry about it.''

Buehrle would prefer to have a multiyear contract, just so he won't have to deal with it every season. But he's prepared to go on a year-to-year basis if necessary.

No matter what happens, Buehrle said it won't affect his pitching or his relationship with the White Sox.

"It's a big deal to everyone else,'' he said. "I'd like to get it out of the way and put it behind us for a couple of years. But if it doesn't happen, it's not going to bother the way I throw.

"You've got to put everything behind you and concentrate on pitching. Take care of your business out there any time I come to play.''