PALM DESERT, Calif. -- With several key free agents on the market, Rick Hahn has the next three days to explore other ways to potentially fill roster holes.
Its not that the White Sox general manager is opposed to retaining catcher A.J. Pierzynski, third baseman Kevin Youkilis or reliever Brett Myers.
Hahn, unless he offloads salary through trades, has limited resources and prefers to be realistic about the chances of signing those players.
After a career season at the plate, Pierzynski could be in line for a big payday while Youkilis is the top third baseman in a thin free agent class. A big salary for either player could be hard for the White Sox to achieve with nine players already under contract for 89.25 million. The teams payroll should be roughly the same as last season when the White Sox opened the season at 97.669 million.
The odds of signing an impending free agent decrease once they hit the open market, Hahn said last week. You dont how aggressive other teams would be. Our chances would likely take a serious hit once he got out there.
The White Sox do have a plethora of starting pitchers already under contract. Jake Peavy and Gavin Floyd were signed last week and John Danks is rehabbing from surgery Aug. 6 and all signs are positive. Pitchers Chris Sale, Jose Quintana and Hector Santiago are also under team control.
Hahn said last week he believes the club could be very popular among other franchises in need of starting pitching help. He also said he will listen on all offers in hopes of an improvement to the roster through trade.
MLB
Floyd, who is set to earn 9.5 million in 2013, could be of particular interest to contenders looking for a one-year, affordable stopgap.
Teams arrived at the meetings on Tuesday afternoon. The meetings begin on Wednesday morning and conclude Friday. Hahn and the White Sox are fresh off their organizational meetings, which began Saturday in Glendale, Ariz.