Levine: No Discord In White Sox Front Office, Hahn Says
By Bruce Levine--
CHICAGO (CBS) -- The smoke has cleared at the ballpark on the South Side. General manager Rick Hahn was out to make sure the media and White Sox fan base know everyone in the front office at 31st and Veeck Drive is on the same page going forward.
"The frustrating thing is every few months, we need to have this same conversation," Hahn said Thursday before the White Sox hosted the Mariners.
A recent report said the White Sox front office, according to an unnamed source, wasn't in agreement at the Aug. 1 non-waiver trading deadline regarding which direction to proceed. Hahn denied that he, executive vice president Kenny Williams and chairman Jerry Reinsdorf weren't on the same page.
"We have had a number of conversations, both Kenny and I, as well as Kenny, Jerry and I, about the best way to approach the offseason and what we want to accomplish," Hahn said. "Once the offseason rolls around, we will start executing that plan."
Hahn was asked if the fan base was entitled to some clarity as to what that direction the franchise may be headed moving forward, keeping in mind the White Sox entered Thursday evening at 60-65 and in a distant fourth place in the AL Central.
"From a fan perspective, I get it," Hahn said. "We have had these conversations going back to when I assumed the position, about how this operation works. I have been here now for 16 years. I have been a part of virtually every major decision from the start when I got here. That has always involved sitting down with Jerry and Kenny and having an open dialogue and exchange of ideas. I would have not taken the position of GM unless I thought it was a recipe for us to have success as a group.
"I understand why it comes up from time to time, especially when there is some unnamed report. At this point, it's just tired news and repetitive. There is nothing there."
Hahn was asked if his relationships had changed within the group of top brass.
"It has always been in a matter of open dialogue," he said. "Now that I am the GM, my tasks are different than when I was assistant GM. Over the last four years, it's been the same about me bringing something to the table and trying to push it through when I believe in it."
It would be disrespectful to the present team to signal whether the front office will have a total rebuild or just plug holes, Hahn said.
"This is just not the time of the year to be laying out off season plans," he said. "We are working on it. We are exploring a lot of different angles internally. We are trying to come up with priorities and hit the ground running when the time is appropriate. I get that may be a little frustrating from the outside. It's not where we are at in the cycle. After the first or second transaction of the offseason, it will be clear as to our direction."
Bruce Levine covers the Cubs and White Sox for 670 The Score and CBSChicago.com. Follow him on Twitter @MLBBruceLevine.