Listen: Rick Hahn On If Chris Sale Is 'Untouchable,' Trading With The Cubs & More
(CBS) The next week to 10 days will decide which direction this 2015 season takes for the White Sox.
After Chicago's disappointing 41-45 first half that finished with a 9-3 stretch to provide some hope, general manager Rick Hahn said the team is in constant trade discussions both to improve this season's team and to turn the attention to 2016 and beyond. He just hasn't decided yet which route to take.
The White Sox sit 5.5 games out of the second wild-card spot in the AL entering Friday.
"We've had a nice stretch," Hahn said on 670 The Score on Friday morning. "I do think it helps -- how should I say -- make your options a little more interesting than they perhaps were before this little stretch began. Over the next couple weeks, we're going to have to see how things play out before staking our flag in the ground on which direction we're going to go. We're currently and not surprisingly having conversations with a number of different clubs about a number of different scenarios, some of which are more focused on '15 and some of which are more focused on the future. The good thing is we don't need to make a decision just yet."
To date, the White Sox haven't had any deal proposed to them that was "too good to turn down," Hahn said. If they do make a move, it will almost certainly be to improve an offense that's last in baseball in runs scored in 2015.
"It is something we've played with," Hahn said of adding to the offense. "It's certainly our preference to go down that route. That said, we also have to be realistic. We have to look at where we sit, not only from a performance standpoint for our own for the next couple months but also what the rest of the league and division looks like and the likelihood of catching the clubs in front of us. It's a balancing act. Emotionally and from a competitive standpoint, you want to put resources toward making this year stronger, and certainly from the way we've performed thus far, you'd point to the offense as the area that would be the main need to address. At the same time, we need to be objective as we can be and as realistic as we can be and approach it with what's best not just for '15 but for the competitiveness and health of the club over the next several seasons."
Though their needs may not match up, Hahn emphasized in a hypothetical situation that he has no qualms about trading with the crosstown rival Cubs, who are looking to be buyers as they're in the playoff race.
"It really comes down to, at that point, doing what's best for the White Sox," Hahn said. "If we were to suddenly remove potential suitors from the market for our players, I don't see how that necessarily enhances our ability to do what's best for the White Sox."
Illustrating his point that he's considering all options, Hahn said that not even ace left-hander Chris Sale is an "untouchable" on the trade market -- though he comes as close as you can get to that.
"We don't have any untouchables," Hahn said. "It's simply the nature of the business, is we have to listen to any ideas any clubs have on any of our players. We wouldn't be doing our job if we didn't at least hear out the value of our guys. And who knows, perhaps someone might overwhelm you or surprise you with something that is simply too good to turn down and makes the franchise stronger for an extended period of time.
"At the same time, there are certainly guys that are far more difficult to move than others, far more more distasteful to move than others and ones that are fairly special, special type players that you expect to be part of this organization, that you're privileged to have in the organization and expect to be part of this organization for a long time."
Listen to Hahn's full interview below.