LAS VEGAS -- The Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino seemed to be the perfect locale for a Bryce Harper announcement as quite possibly the biggest move in White Sox history.
Harper, one of the true premium free agents at 26 years of age, resides in Las Vegas, and the White Sox were in town this week for the annual Winter Meetings. But just because the White Sox departed Thursday without any sort of deal finalized with the multi-talented outfielder, or infielder Manny Machado for that matter, doesn't mean it can't happen.
This next phase of the rebuild, where the White Sox have positioned themselves to spend in the context of contending for multiple championships, should be an exciting one for the organization.
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"We're excited to be discussing impactful moves for the long term," said White Sox general manager Rick Hahn following Thursday's Rule 5 Draft. "We've made no secret, it's been a tough couple years on everyone associated with the White Sox, an understandably tough couple of years given what we're trying to accomplish for the long term.

"It's good to have a seat at the table on some large, impactful moves. Now it doesn't necessarily mean that anything's going to come together. We still have a fair amount of work to do, and even if we are able to convert on something big, there's still going to be work behind it over the coming years to get us where we need to be."
Adding right-hander Ivan Nova in a trade with the Pirates became the only move made by the White Sox during the Winter Meetings. But as Hahn pointed out Thursday, they will get back after the process Friday after returning to Chicago.
"We've seen high-impact deals happen here," Hahn said. "Obviously, that wasn't the case this week at these meetings, but it doesn't mean something can't come together in the coming weeks. In the end, when it gets done is less important than getting it done. So, we're going to react accordingly to how the market unfolds."

BIGGEST REMAINING NEEDS
1. Premium free agent: The White Sox reportedly are in play for both Harper and Machado. While it seems unlikely to happen, they have the payroll room to add both.
2. C: Multiple reports had the White Sox linked to free agent Yasmani Grandal. With Welington Castillo in place and prospects Zack Collins and Seby Zavala moving through the system, the team also could opt for more of a backup sort of backstop.
3. RP:Alex Colome is in line to be the team's closer after being acquired via trade from the Mariners. The White Sox still want to add at least one more late-inning option, with the relief market starting to open late Wednesday night.
3. SP: Pairing Nova with Carlos Rodon, Reynaldo Lopez and Lucas Giolito does not preclude the White Sox from going after another starting pitcher. They do have right-hander Dylan Cease progressing quickly toward their big league rotation.
RULE 5 DRAFT
The White Sox selected right-hander Jordan Romano from Toronto with the third pick in Thursday's Rule 5 Draft but then traded him to the Rangers for cash considerations. Perhaps the biggest news was the White Sox keeping right-handed pitcher Zach Thompson, who was coming off a breakout 2018 campaign with a 1.55 ERA over stops between Class A Advanced Winston-Salem and Double-A Birmingham, but was left unprotected off the 40-man by the White Sox and at a risk of being selected.
GM'S BOTTOM LINE
"Those of you who know [White Sox chairman] Jerry [Reinsdorf] know how competitive he is. He was on board from the start with the rebuild. He's still on board with the long-term plan. He's still very comfortable with where we're at, and where we're headed. At the same time there is a competitiveness where you want to reinforce what we've done. You don't want the suffering to be for naught so to speak.
"There has to be a pot of gold at the end of this. He was very much on board when he, [executive vice president] Kenny [Williams] and I talked about this from the start, how things were going to unfold and some of the hardships that were going to be at the front end and some of the moves we wanted to be a part of potentially on the back end to move this thing along." -- Hahn, on Reinsdorf's and the White Sox desire to win another title