Hahn: We Want To Point Fans To Present, Not Future
(CBS) With Thursday's trade of second baseman Gordon Beckham to the Angels, the White Sox took another step toward turning their attention from the present to the future. No one knows that better than Chicago general manager Rick Hahn, who in an interview with the Mully and Hanley Show on Friday morning explained the White Sox have their sights set on competing immediately and not rebuilding in 2015.
"We wanted to get this thing back on track as quickly as possible," Hahn said. "I think that jells with fan expectation, but it's really more an internal motivation to not want to spend an extended period of time pointing people to the distant future and instead try to get this this thing straight and put ourselves in a position to win consistently as quickly as possible. Now, it's not a matter of just flipping a switch and being able to do that in one offseason or over the course of one single season.
"We're realistic about the fact that we lost 99 games last year and you can't just turn this thing on a dime. But we felt we had a good offseason, a good last 14, 15 months now to help get this thing in the right direction. We need to continue that. We need to have another good offseason.
"The intent is to compete as quickly as possible, and that really is an internal motivation more than anything."
With some dollars coming off the books, Hahn said the White Sox will be active in free agency in the offseason. Another player who could figure largely into the 2015 plans is first-round draft pick Carlos Rodon, a left-handed pitcher who's currently at Triple-A Charlotte and could receive a September call-up.
It's a decision the White Sox are still weighing, though they know they want him in the rotation next season in an ideal world.
"Quite frankly, he's a little bit more advanced and the transition to pro ball has been even more seamless than we anticipated," Hahn said of Rodon. "All that said, he has thrown about, I want to say, about 12 to 15 innings as a pro and ultimately the decision to bring him up or not bring him up is going to be about what's best for his long-term development."
"We're going to have to be real cautious before we decide just to bring him up and run him out there in big league games this year."
Listen to Hahn's full interview below. He also addresses the need for a revamped bullpen and says he believes Matt Davidson will turn it around and be part of the future.