Ventura 'absolutely' wants to stay put

CHICAGO -- Robin Ventura has admitted the White Sox haven't met his expectations, or the team's, this season. But that's why he wants to return for another year, he said on Tuesday.

"Absolutely [I want to return]," Ventura said. "People that think I don't care, that's an unfair assessment. Nobody cares more about how it's going here than I do."

The manager is under contract through the 2016 season, but faces the possibility of being at the helm of a third straight losing season. This season, the White Sox entered Tuesday night at 65-71, sitting fourth in the American League Central.

General manager Rick Hahn said prior to Tuesday's game against the Indians that "everything" in the club would be up for evaluation at the end of the season, and Ventura knows that much. Hahn was also quick to point out his roster's struggles on offense this season, where it ranks near the bottom in the AL.

"There's certainly, when you look at the track record on a number of players here, a rational and reasonable expectation for improvement in a lot of areas from the current roster," Hahn said. "At the same time, thus far this season, this mix hasn't produced at the level we need it to produce at.

"You don't want to overreact to the underperformance and try to change too much and therefore create more problems. At the same time, we're very cognizant of the fact we need to look at everything right now. It's not producing wins at the Major League level we want, and therefore we're going to have to make some changes."

Hired in 2012, Ventura had posted a 286-336 record over his career, but Hahn made clear he wouldn't evaluate until the season had been completed. Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf is also monitoring the season, Hahn said, and he too remains involved in the decision-making process.

Ventura was frank in evaluating his team, saying he was "just as disappointed as anybody else." But he wouldn't single any one player or any position group out with a month left in the season.

"You're not going to point a finger at a player for not playing well," Ventura said. "That's just part of doing business. You want them to do better. We're trying to get him to play better and you either are going to keep that player or you're not.

"I think even for myself, I'm just as disappointed in what you have here. But when you analyze it, you're going to go through everything, you go through coaches, you go through players, through the whole process as we have in the past. I would like it to be better as well."