July 17--General manger Rick Hahn said the White Sox "haven't ruled out anything" when it comes to the direction the team will take before the July 31 trade deadline.
The Sox went 9-3 heading into the All-Star break to make the club's situation "a little bit more interesting" than it was in mid-June, when it seemed the Sox were most certainly headed toward selling off their parts. But Hahn said the team has had conversations this week about potential additions, if they choose that route.
The uncertainty makes the Sox's first week back from the All-Star break -- with four games against the Royals and two against the Cardinals -- critical if the Sox want to keep their team together.
"Let's see how things play out," Hahn said before the doubleheader against the Royals on Friday. "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 we want to add.
"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."
The Sox started Friday 5 1/2; games back from the second American League wild-card spot but would have to surpass seven teams to earn it.
Sox manager Robin Ventura is trying to keep his team focused on playing hard and not on the team's potential moves in the next two weeks. He liked the way the Sox played when they were using the "underdog" mentality to start the month.
"Every week people are going to ask if you're going to set the tone or change somebody's opinion -- we're just going to freaking play," Ventura said. "That's all. We're going to play hard. I'm tired of the question, 'Is this week? Is this not the week?' Every day is the day and the week."
