On Tuesday, the Chicago White Sox finally made the Andrew Benintendi signing officially official. They couldn't do that until he completed his physical which was clearly being saved for the first real day back to work following the holiday season.
Rick Hahn spoke following the announcement as teams usually do following a big signing. This is a decent signing in terms of the MLB as a whole as Benintendi is a good player but it is the biggest contract ever handed out by the White Sox at 75 million dollars (five-year deal).
In talking about this contract, Rick Hahn also had some other interesting things to say. We know that he has been a bit under fire lately after the way that 2022 has gone but we will see how 2023 goes before we truly judge him.
We know that Jerry Reinsdorf (and formerly Tony La Russa) handcuffed him a little bit. If he were to go to another team with an owner that cared about winning, you might be surprised by what the results look like. However, that doesn't absolve him of some serious mistakes made on his part as well.
Some of these quotes will certainly interest White Sox fans that are getting ready for next year. Hahn made it clear that they might not be done with potential future moves. They don't see the team as complete right now. That is amazing news to hear because it means that they will try not to settle.
Rick Hahn had some interesting quotes about the White Sox on Tuesday.
Here's Hahn's full quote on potential future moves, Part I:
— Scott Merkin (@scottmerkin) January 4, 2023
"We’re always going to look to get better. You’re never satisfied with your roster. We know there are ways we can improve from a position player standpoint as well as from a pitching depth standpoint ....
Hahn 2: "“So we’re going to continue to look at what we have. What happens over the course of the next six weeks leading into camp and the six-to-seven weeks in camp is impossible to predict, but certainly the way we perceive ourselves is not as a finished product at this time.”
— Scott Merkin (@scottmerkin) January 4, 2023
If the White Sox want to be a better baseball team, they should always be looking to improve as Hahn suggests. We know that Jerry isn't allowing him to pay guys like Manny Machado or Bryce Harper what they are worth but there are ways to get creative. That is up to Rick Hahn.
Should they run out Romy Gonzalez or Lenyn Sosa at second base? No. Will they? Probably. There are other areas in which they can try to improve as well though and we can only hope that he chooses to do so before the season begins.
Contrary to some people, this is not a bad baseball team. They came in second place with a record of 81-81 in a year in which they played horribly. Those 81 wins are still amongst the most they've had in a season since winning the World Series in 2005.
That says a lot. With a few more tweaks to the roster, better management, and a bit more health, things can improve. Hopefully, Hahn sticks to his word on this one.