Sox GM Hahn staying far away from panic button
General manager Rick Hahn is still in patient mode, and maybe it’s because he remembers the 2010 season.
It’s still a fresh memory.
After losing to the Tigers on June 8, 2010, the White Sox were 24-33 and then-GM Kenny Williams was seething.
Williams described opposing general managers as being “sharks” and “vultures,” and he vowed to make massive changes in the wake of the Sox’ slow start.
But — just like that — the White Sox flipped a switch and won 25 of their next 30 games.
Instead of tearing the roster down, Williams wound up adding Jake Peavy and Edwin Jackson in trades and, gulp, he claimed Manny Ramirez off waivers.
The Sox went on to finish 88-74, good enough for second place in the AL Central but not good enough for a playoff berth. Shifting to the present, the Sox are 29-39 following Monday night’s 7-5 loss at Minnesota.
It was another toughie, especially after the White Sox rallied back from a 4-0 deficit and tied the game at 5-5 in the eighth inning when Paul Konerko (4-for-4) singled to score Alex Rios.
But with all-star candidate Jesse Crain unavailable after pitching 12⁄3 innings of relief at Houston on Monday night, Ramon Troncoso was on the mound in the eighth when Clete Thomas walked with two outs, Joe Mauer singled and Ryan Doumit followed with a 2-run double to hand the Sox their fifth loss in six games.
Before the game, Hahn talked to reporters about all of the rumors that the White Sox are soon to be sellers.
“I know there’s frustration in the clubhouse,” Hahn said. “There’s obviously frustration among fans, among staff, but we do have a fair amount of time left to get this thing right. We’ve been saying that for a while now, and it is obviously time to get going if we’re going to make that run.
“We’re still halfway through June. We aren’t halfway through the season yet. We haven’t played the first-place team (Tigers) in our division yet.”
The nonwaiver trade deadline is not until July 31, so there is obviously time. But you have to seriously wonder if the White Sox are capable of sustaining some offense while cleaning up their defense and sloppy baserunning.
And, obviously, Hahn is not going to announce he’s rebuilding before it actually happens.
“I don’t think it’s fair, regardless of the path we take over the next six weeks, for me to then sit there and say ‘Well this guy could go,’ or ‘That guy’s not going to go,’” Hahn said. “That’s not going to be fair to the unit and what they’re trying to accomplish on a given night. If we get to the point of looking to add or subtract, it’s going to be based upon what we’re able to receive in return and it being at a certain level that makes sense for us long term.
“If we get to that point, we’re going to be pretty popular. We already have received a fair amount of phone calls and I suspect that will continue unless we turn this thing around and start being the ones on the dialing end of things.”
sgregor@dailyherald.com