Plenty of Machado questions, but White Sox still waiting for answer
With TV broadcaster Jason Benetti serving as host, White Sox general manager Rick Hahn and manager Rick Renteria took questions from fans Saturday morning at SoxFest.
There were some typical offbeat inquiries, such as do the White Sox plan on celebrating the 100-year anniversary of the Black Sox scandal this year?
The short answer was no.
A young fan asked Benetti, Hahn and Renteria their favorite color.
As expected, most questions focused on the White Sox's pursuit of free agents Manny Machado and Bryce Harper.
Both players are thought to be seeking contracts with total values of $300 million or more, which would likely be too steep for the Sox.
"Do we have no (money) limits?" Hahn said. "No. Everyone has a limit on how far you're willing to go on something."
Hahn went on to explain there can be additional factors in play, depending on the player, such as the current strength of the team, the desirability of the city, family concerns and spring training location.
In their sales pitch to Machado and Harper, the White Sox played up their strong minor-league system and bright future. "The message was we're getting poised to go on a long-term run and you have a chance to be a part of something special," Hahn said.
Later Saturday, the Padres reportedly expressed an interest in meeting with Machado. Along with the Sox, the Phillies and Yankees are also interested in the infielder.
While he said no to a question about whether the White Sox are considering signing both Machado and Harper, Hahn said chairman Jerry Reinsdorf is going to have the biggest say on getting one of the available stars.
"With the magnitude of what we're discussing, Jerry has been very much involved," Hahn said. "It's not just, 'Hey Jerry, we're thinking about making this offer to this guy. What do you think?' This goes back several years. This goes back to the initial blueprint, so to speak, of what we were going to try to accomplish over the course of this rebuild.
"We may be a year early on paper, in terms of these types of moves, but it was also something that was discussed for the last several years about this free-agent market and the potential to add to the process at this time. He's been on board from the start and certainly is very much up to speed on what's going on up to the hour."
More moves?
Even as Manny Machado and Bryce Harper take their time deciding on new teams, the White Sox are still looking to add more to their roster as spring training approaches.
"There are still 3-4 potential acquisitions we are working on," GM Rick Hahn said. "Traditionally, years ago, it would seem like SoxFest marked the ritual end of the offseason, so to speak. Obviously, things are moving slower in recent years than they had in the past. So as much as people have looked for a finished product at this time in the baseball calendar, we're not there yet. There might be some other names in that lineup."
Trade regret:
When asked about a lack of international talent, Rick Hahn said that has changed since Marco Paddy joined the White Sox in 2011.
Hahn pointed to Luis Robert and Micker Adolfo as sure signs the Sox are going in the right direction, but he took a shot at himself.
"(Paddy) also signed someone that some jackass traded, a pretty good prospect by the name of Tatis," Hahn said.
On June 4, 2016, Hahn traded Fernando Tatis Jr. to the Padres for starting pitcher James Shields. The shortstop has blossomed into one of the top prospects in baseball.