MINNEAPOLIS -- White Sox general manager Kenny Williams was succinct when asked Sunday afternoon if he might possibly make any more trades.
Yes, Williams said without offering anything else.
Even after a wild five-week period where Williams completed trades, which brought Kevin Youkilis, Brett Myers and Francisco Liriano to the White Sox, the veteran GM will continue to try and find ways to further improve his first-place team.
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While there are only precious hours remaining before Tuesdays 3 p.m. nonwaiver trade deadline, Williams has plenty of time to make deals. Clubs can also acquire players who have passed through waivers before Aug. 31 and still use them in the postseason.
So with upgrades already made at third base and in the setup role, and Liriano in to bolster a young rotation, where else might the White Sox try to improve the roster? Heres a look at several possible positions:
Middle infield: With Eduardo Escobar gone in the deal for Liriano, the White Sox promoted veteran Ray Olmedo, 31, to the roster. Olmedo has 899 minor-league appearances at shortstop, where he has a .952 fielding percentage in 14 seasons. Olmedo also hasnt been in the majors since 2007, which could make him a temporary fix as Williams looks for a better solution.
Left-handed reliever: Currently the role of left-handed specialist belongs to rookie Leyson Septimo, who has all of 8 13 innings pitched in the majors. Left-handed hitters are just 2-for-16 this season against Septimo, who also only allowed four hits in 42 at-bats to lefties in the minors. But he is susceptible to walks -- he has issued four -- and had a difficult outing against all left-handers in Boston, where Adrian Gonzalez hit a three-run homer off him after he walked Carl Crawford and David Ortiz.
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Veteran Matt Thornton has limited lefties to a .230 average over his career, but theyre hitting .256 against him this season, which may prompt Williams to add an arm.
Fourth outfielder: Jordan Danks has proven to be a capable defender who can play all three spots in the outfield. Danks 1.2 Ultimate Zone Rating -- a metric which measures how many runs he saves over the average defender at a position -- shows he has contributed in limited playing time. He also has 11 hits in 35 at-bats and can run, as evidenced by 18 steals at Triple-A Charlotte in 2011. But Williams may again prefer a veteran who could fill in if any of his starters are lost to injury.
The White Sox players are happy with the way their roster is currently constructed. The team feeds off a strong core of veteran players. Chemistry is strong this season and players have found a way to brush off bad times and never get too high when things have gone well. But even if Williams adds to the mix and alters the roster, the White Sox are confident they can handle another change or two.
Well welcome anybody at any time and Kenny knows that, pitcher Jake Peavy said. We feel very good about our chemistry we have in this clubhouse and are not in any way concerned about any move Kenny would make affecting that. Weve got a core group of guys who will keep each other going in the right direction.