Rozner: Chicago White Sox rebuild only just beginning

Rick Hahn has heard some of the theories and read some of the expert conclusions.

But he learned long ago that the only way to change perception is with the reality of action, and the Chicago White Sox GM isn't going to rush a massive transformation on the South Side because some are getting antsy.

Rome wasn't built in three months and it's going to take considerably longer for the Sox to complete a teardown and rebuild.

"We need to make sure we explore the 'fake rebuild' theories that are out there, that it's just a partial, two-move rebuild," Hahn said with a chuckle when I spoke to him Sunday morning on the Score. "No, we remain in the same spot as we were when we completed the Adam Eaton deal, when I said that we were closer to the beginning of this process than we are to the end.

"We would have loved to have kept the ball moving after the (Chris) Sale and Eaton deals. But in the end it's not our impatience, or desire to get these things done, that's going to dictate the pace of these moves.

"It's going to be the market.

"We just did not get to the level - in a couple instances, not even close to the level - that would motivate us to move some premium assets as part of this."

Rest assured that Hahn has every intention of moving those "premium assets," and continuing to stockpile top prospects, when he starts hearing names in return that will benefit the rebuild.

"Things can change here in the coming weeks. We certainly expect things to change in the coming months as we get closer to the deadline," Hahn said. "As we said from the start, this process may well take us through next off-season.

"We are by no means done, and it was by no means a two-move rebuild."

While all of baseball can see what the Sox are doing, and though Hahn has frequent conversations with fellow GMs, he's not going to move on from players like Jose Quintana, David Robertson or maybe even Jose Abreu before he gets the kind of haul that would justify a trade.

Quintana, in particular, might be the most valuable asset on the market, a top-notch, left-handed starter with a ridiculously team-friendly contract. And if Robertson proves his worth over the first month or two, there could be a serious auction for a veteran closer.

So while patience is easy to talk about and harder to maintain, it's Hahn's responsibility to wait as long as necessary, despite the associated injury risk.

"We're all human. We're all fans on some level and can get emotional and eager to move on to the next one," Hahn said. "From time to time we need to check ourselves within the front office and have someone speak up and say, 'We're just wasting our time' with this particular deal or this particular (farm) system.

"It does require some discipline."

There was a certain momentum building after those first two deals and it seemed as if Quintana might be gone in short order, but he's worth so much and it's such an important trade that the Sox have to remain in the bunker until given reason to emerge.

"We felt really good (at the winter meetings) after getting the first two deals done," Hahn said. "Everybody who knows Jerry (Reinsdorf) and Kenny (Williams) knows they would certainly prefer to be back to winning as quickly as possible.

"That's the same preference we share throughout the front office, but it's imperative that we do this right, not quickly."

The Sox got more for Eaton than they probably had a right to expect.

They got a lot for Sale, but along the lines of what they probably hoped to get.

If they get something in between for Quintana, it could speed up their timetable for competing.

But Hahn will not be pushed into putting a clock on a process that saw the Chicago Cubs take four years to reach the postseason, and five years to bring home the jewelry.

"I think it's too soon to put a firm end date on this," Hahn said. "That said, when we started this process we had a general idea of how many more drafts, how many more trade deadlines, off-seasons, free-agent markets, it would take to get us back to where we want to be, in a position to win on a sustainable basis.

"In all candor, if you had asked me in November how long I thought it would take, that answer would probably be slightly different after the December trades because we feel good about what we were able to accomplish, and that arguably moved up the clock a little bit."

There will be more trades and drafts, and surprises and disappointments along the way, but the Sox have only just begun their fight to return to the top.

What's certain is that two big moves were only the beginning.

brozner@dailyherald.com

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