White Sox won't 'force moves' at Winter Meetings

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- Inactive would be the wrong term to describe the White Sox offseason as general manager Rick Hahn, executive vice president Ken Williams, chairman Jerry Reinsdorf and their front office staff arrive in Florida on Sunday for the start of the Winter Meetings on Monday.

Staying true to the team's ongoing reshaping or retooling process would be more accurate. Hahn and company want to add pieces to help the team compete in 2014, paired with a solid pitching staff already in place, but they won't make moves just for a quick fix.

"We're not closing off any options toward getting better, whether they're on the position side of things, where we clearly feel we have a need to improve, or even on the pitching side, which we feel is a strength right now," said Hahn during a recent conference call. "It's more about finding the right fits for the long term."

What moves will the White Sox make to supplement the October addition of first baseman/designated hitter Jose Abreu? They could pursue Yankees outfielder Brett Gardner, a fleet-footed leadoff hitter who has interested the team before, as an example, providing there's any sort of match on the New York side.

All of the White Sox action at the Walt Disney World Swan & Dolphin Resort can be found right here on whitesox.com and MLB.com, along with extensive coverage of all 30 teams. That coverage runs straight through Thursday morning's Rule 5 Draft, which could hold interest to the South Siders with openings on their 40-man roster.

Fans are encouraged to get involved through their comments and suggestions, even pointing out a player or two who might make sense for the White Sox. Manager Robin Ventura is scheduled to meet with the media Tuesday at 12:30 p.m. CT, while Hahn addresses the media each day at 3:30 p.m., unless there's White Sox news to report earlier on a given day. Stories will follow shortly thereafter.

"Let's put it this way. There is nobody, with the possible exceptions of Jerry and Kenny, who is as eager or potentially impatient to try to continue to add to what we've done to retool this roster and get things back to where we think they need to be and somewhere where they're going to be sustainable for the long term," Hahn said. "We were able to do some of that last summer when we picked up Avi [Avisail Garcia], and we were able to do some of that earlier in the offseason when we signed Jose.

"But we're all sitting here eager to continue that process. And frankly it is a bit of a challenge to not just do something for the sake that we're eager to start doing something, to continue that process. We cannot force moves. We don't get any extra points or wins or runs or anything for getting something done in December versus January.

"This is an effort to get things right for the long term," said Hahn, whose team could announce the signing of relief pitcher Ronald Belisario this week. "We have to resist whatever impatience may creep up in order to make a transaction just for the sake of making a transaction."