Williams: Sox aren't that far away from contending

If you believe executive vice president Kenny Williams, the White Sox could still be playing baseball at this point next year. They could be in the 2015 playoffs.

“We're a lot closer than the record indicates,” Williams said just before the Sox finished the current season at 73-89. “With a few tweaks here and there, you know we've got to shore up the bullpen, another right-hander starter wouldn't be a bad thing. (General manager) Rick and (Hahn) I have had ongoing conversations for quite some time.

“I am confident in the direction that he's setting out and the things that he's done, and I'm happy to still be a part of it and still have a little bit of a say in things. I think we are a lot closer to being competitive again than we have been, and not just competitive — to being a special club. We've got a few holes to fill, but there's not as many as people might assume from what the record is.”

Let's take a closer look at some of the holes:

Bullpen

It was one of the worst in baseball, and a minimum of two veteran relievers are needed if the 2015 White Sox hope to make Williams' bold declaration stand up.

Jake Petricka and Josh Putnam were thrust into late-inning roles when Nate Jones and Matt Lindstrom went down with injuries.

Both right-handers held their own under difficult circumstances and should be even better moving forward.

To lesser degrees, Javy Guerra and Daniel Webb also performed well enough to put themselves in the mix next season, but all four aforementioned relievers would benefit from pitching in front of an established closer and setup man.

“Obviously, the bullpen is an important area that we need to upgrade,” Hahn said at U.S. Cellular Field on Sunday, the final day of the regular season. “I think we enter this off-season with a couple of pieces that improved their stock over the course of the season. There are some elements there that are going to be part ... of a championship club.

“At the same time, there's zero doubt in our mind that we need to make some bullpen upgrades.”

With only around $50 million committed to the 2015 payroll, Hahn said money is available to sign potential free-agent relievers like Koji Uehara, David Robertson, Huston Street and Casey Janssen.

Right-handed starter

Chris Bassitt made the jump from Class AA Birmingham to the Sox late in the year and did pretty well, going 1-1 with a 3.94 ERA.

More minor-league seasoning could only help Bassitt, and the White Sox would be better off trading for a more established right-hander or signing a potential free agent like Edinson Volquez or Jason Hammel.

Designated hitter

Andy Wilkins got a chance to show what he can do in September after putting up monster numbers at Class AAA Charlotte.

Wilkins flamed out, batting .140 with no home runs and 2 RBI in 43 at-bats, so the White Sox have to shop for another left-handed power bat to replace Adam Dunn.

This is a key addition, because the Sox need a productive run producer to hit between Jose Abreu and Avisail Garcia.

Victor Martinez would be a great add as a free agent, but the veteran left-hander is going to be very pricey and he might shy away from the White Sox after being drilled by Chris Sale in a Sept. 24 game at Detroit.

Left fielder

When he connects, Dayan Viciedo can hit the ball as far as anyone in the game.

But raw power aside, Viciedo had a .281 on-base percentage, down from .304 last year and .300 in 2012.

It's time to make a change, and corner outfielders are typically easier to find than most other positions.

Third base

Conor Gillaspie disappeared late in the season, batting .222 in August and .183 in September.

Considering his overall power numbers (7 home runs, 57 RBI) are also low for a third baseman, the Sox would be wise to look for an upgrade. If not, they can stick with Gillaspie and give Matt Davidson more time to figure out his swing in the minor leagues.

Catcher

Tyler Flowers is probably back after batting .241 with 15 home runs and 50 RBI. If Josh Phegley improves his defense, he could be the backup.

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