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Buyers or sellers? White Sox still have time to decide

The Chicago White Sox have not exactly splurged, but they've been buyers since December, when they acquired Todd Frazier from Cincinnati in a three-way trade and Brett Lawrie from Oakland in a straight-up deal.

That set off a rapid fire series of moves that included signing starting pitchers Mat Latos (since released) and Miguel Gonzalez, center fielder Austin Jackson, shortstop Jimmy Rollins (since released) and designated hitter/first baseman Justin Morneau.

The Sox also landed starter James Shields in a June 4 deal from San Diego, cementing their status as the most active team in baseball.

As the July 31 nonwaiver trade deadline starts coming into view, what is next for the White Sox?

Are they going to try adding even more pieces and make a playoff push? Or, are they going to shift gears and become sellers?

It is still too early for the Sox to deem themselves in or out, so the answer has to wait a bit.

"We look at each scenario as the course of the season unfolds," general manager Rick Hahn said. "There's no magic date, there's no magic distance either from first place or outside the playoff picture that we have to declare ourselves one way or the other. We've had years where we've been able to add players that helped for the short term but also the long term, arguably buying and selling at the same time, you could say.

"It's certainly our hope that we continue on this upswing and put ourselves in a very clear position of buyers. But it is the responsibility of the front office to be aware of what the alternatives are, and the potential to focus more on the long term. Again, our expectations, our hope and our goal, is to look to add."

Like most teams, the White Sox are in dire need of bullpen help. They could also use a left-handed bat, and it looks like Morneau is going to fill that role.

The good news is Morneau led the National League with a .319 batting average in 2014 and followed up with a .310 average last season, both spent with Colorado.

The bad news is Morneau turned 35 last month and is still recovering from December elbow surgery. He's not expected to be ready to play until right after the all-star break.

Morneau took batting practice for the first time on Saturday and could soon be heading out on a minor-league rehab assignment.

The Sox are hoping to add another bat in July - Jackson.

The center fielder was heating up at the plate before tearing the medial meniscus in his left knee during a June 9 game against Washington. Jackson is expected to be available around the same time as Morneau.

If the White Sox are out of the running in late July, Morneau, Jackson and anyone else on the roster could be traded.

Last week, the annual Chris Sale to the Red Sox trade rumor was making the rounds.

"Yes, we have," Hahn said when asked if he's taken any calls from teams interested in White Sox players. "And I say we like (our players), too."

While the Sox never seem to pay attention to the calendar, they figure to be quiet until the July 31 deadline draws closer.

"Teams are really for the most part still feeling each other out," Hahn said. "There are a few clubs that are very clearly focused on the future and those are the ones you can probably get a little more substantive with right now. Obviously, one of them led to our Shields trade. It's probably going to take another few weeks for clubs to decide 'Are we going to be in this or not?' buying or selling."

The White Sox are one of those clubs.

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