Levine: White Sox GM Says Team Must Win Now
By Bruce Levine--
CHICAGO (CBS) -- The urgency to win now was hammered home by White Sox general manager Rick Hahn in his management seminar Friday evening at SoxFest.
A fan asked the third-year boss about the importance of winning now with this group of cost-controlled players.
"It's extremely important," Hahn said, raising his voice during his team's annual fan convention. "We are blessed with some very unique, special talent on this roster right now. We talk to players every year after the season. The most painful thing I had to hear was Chris Sale telling me he felt he still had six good starts in him. Knowing we weren't making postseason hurt. He deserves to be on the national stage in the postseason, as does Jose Abreu and Adam Eaton, a lot of our guys."
The White Sox added numerous players to the mix once again this offseason. Ahead of the 2015 season, the team spent a lot of money and traded farm-system products to bring in more than 15 new players. After a disappointing 76-86 finish, the front office decided to focus on the short-term window and embrace a win-now mode.
"For me, the only reason we do this is having a chance to win," Hahn said. "I'd love to say we are going to have a long-term thing that will give us the chance to win annually. That is ultimately our goal."
The White Sox added All-Star third baseman Todd Frazier and infielder Brett Lawrie in trades. Chicago also signed catchers Alex Avila and Dioner Navarro as free agents. The White Sox are 62 games under .500 over the last three seasons.
Bruce Levine covers the Cubs and White Sox for 670 The Score and CBSChicago.com. Follow him on Twitter @MLBBruceLevine.