NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The White Sox arent likely to deal one of their pitchers without a replacement handy, general manager Rick Hahn said Tuesday.
Hahn essentially confirmed a recent report written that the White Sox were aggressive in their pursuit of an affordable starting pitcher so they could turn around and deal starter Gavin Floyd, whose name has been prominent in rumors this week at the winter meetings.
Not only is Floyd dependable, he has made at least 29 starts over the last six seasons, and an above-.500 pitcher, hes also a bargain at 9.5 million next season. Based on reports, Floyd, who is eligible for free agency in 2014, is perhaps the most sought-after pitcher on the trade market this offseason. But the White Sox prefer not to mess with their pitching depth in the rotation or bullpen.
Its conceivable that if we had a deal lined up that we liked for one of our starters or relievers, that we would want to have that replacement in place from the free agent market, Hahn said. It would certainly make you more comfortable dealing from depth knowing you had that alternative in place. Well see if we head down that path. Weve been popular due to our pitching depth. That has been a target for some clubs and certainly when we talk about taking a guy off that board, we then explore what are we going to do to replace him do we lose something. If we are not comfortable with the alternatives we have in house, which we are in some cases, then we have to talk about we have available elsewhere.
On Monday, the White Sox were one of several teams reported to have interest in free agent Brandon McCarthy. But Hahn has stayed away from names this offseason and will only divulge the club has spoken with a number of agents.
We dont want to rob Peter to pay Paul so to speak, Hahn said. It will be important to us should we deal from a position of strength to feel comfortable with that alternative, whether its in house or from the outside.