Will Chicago White Sox be deadline buyers?
Before the White Sox played the Kansas City Royals on July 17 at U.S. Cellular Field, general manager Rick Hahn appeared in the home dugout.
Hahn's opening statement?
"Like I do every year, I get quiet," he said. "If we have something to announce, we'll discuss it at the time of the transaction. But otherwise, for me to come out here all the time and talk about speculations, that's wasting our time."
Hahn has not had any transactions to talk about the past two weeks, but he is very likely to surface Friday when the Sox return to the Cell to play the New York Yankees.
The White Sox were 41-45 and climbing when Hahn last met with the media, but they proceeded to drop five of six to the Royals and St. Louis Cardinals coming out of the all-star break and looked like sure sellers leading up to Friday's nonwaiver trade deadline.
But after winning four in a row at Cleveland and continuing to surge by taking three of four in Boston, the Sox are right back in the wild-card chase.
If you believe the rumor mill, the White Sox are now "aggressively" looking to add an impact bat and possibly a relief pitcher.
According to multiple reports, Hahn is eyeing the Detroit Tigers' Yoenis Cespedes and the San Diego Padres' Justin Upton.
Even with a payroll close to $120 million - up from $90 million in 2014 - Hahn did indicate the Sox could take on more salary if they were in contention.
"We haven't ruled out anything," the GM said in mid-July. "We've had conversations as recently as this week about potential additions to this club. Again, let's see how things play out. In the end we're going to have to do what makes the most sense, based upon how we're playing, the number of teams we have to jump over and the likelihood of being able to jump over them.
"Certainly, if I did it from an emotional or fan standpoint, we want to be aggressive and we want to add. We want to help this team sitting right here win.
"This is the only championship they're giving out this year, the 2015 championship. However, it's part of the responsibility of this position to be objective and look at the long-term benefit of the club and do what makes the most sense objectively given the situation that we've played ourselves in. We haven't ruled out anything."
Being a buyer or seller can be a huge distraction at this time of the year, but White Sox manager Robin Ventura has been very good at keeping his players focused on the game at hand.
"For us, it's what we've got inside the clubhouse," Ventura told reporters Thursday. "Nobody is walking in the clubhouse today that is going to help us win tonight. You don't look too far ahead."
The White Sox did make one trade Thursday, acquiring minor-league infielder Justin Sellers from the Pittsburgh Pirates for a player to be named or cash.
Sellers is headed for Class AAA Charlotte and will replace second baseman Micah Johnson, who is on the disabled list.
Scouting report
White Sox vs. New York Yankees at U.S. Cellular Field
TV: Comcast SportsNet today and Saturday; Comcast SportsNet/WTBS Sunday
Radio: WSCR 670-AM
Pitching matchups: The Sox' Carlos Rodon (4-3) vs. Nathan Eovaldi (10-2) today at 7:10 p.m.; John Danks (5-8) vs. TBA Saturday at 6:10 p.m.; Jeff Samardzija (8-5) vs. Ivan Nova (3-3) Sunday at 1:10 p.m.
At a glance: The White Sox' offense came alive on the eight-game road trip to Cleveland and Boston, scoring 6 or more runs six times. The White Sox also outscored the Indians and Red Sox 18-2 in the first inning over the last six games. In his last start, vs. Cleveland, Rodon pitched a career high 6⅔ innings and didn't allow a run or walk while striking out nine. CC Sabathia initially was scheduled to start for the Yankees tonight, but he replaced the injured Michael Pineda and pitched at Texas on Thursday night. New York is in first place in the AL East and ranks second in the league in runs scored. Mark Teixeira, 35, and Alex Rodriguez, 40, lead the offense. The White Sox were 2-5 vs. the Yankees last season.
Next: Tampa Bay Rays at U.S. Cellular Field, Monday-Wednesday
- Scot Gregor