White Sox general manager Rick Hahn isn't the most outspoken guy. But make no mistake, he and his front office are doing everything they can to get Chicago baseball fans' attention.
Christmas came early on the South side, with Santa, aka Hahn, delivering former Cubs ace Jeff Samardzijavia a trade with Oakland and signing former David Robertson, the most sought-after closer on the market.
This isn't Hahn's first splash of the offseason. He's already added slugging first baseman Adam LaRocheand left-handed relief pitcher Zach Duke to what was one of baseball's most fun rosters to watch last season.
The Cubs-or rather their fans-are talking big this offseason, hanging on to every last smoke signal coming from pitcher Jon Lester's camp. But so far, aside from unceremoniously dumping manager Rick Renteria to hire Joe Maddon, this winter has largely been all about Wrigley Field and not the actual roster. Which, come to think of it, isn't any different than the Cubs experience during the season.
It will take an act of God for the Sox to outdraw the Cubs this season, despite the best efforts of their front office. But that said, they are going to contend this year. The rotation, headlined by perennial Cy Youngcandidate Chris Sale, Samardzija and Jose Quintana, is among the best in the American League. They'll trot out the reigning AL Rookie of the Year in Jose Abreu, a muscle car enthusiast in Adam Eaton who answers to "Spanky" and will literally run through a wall in pursuit of a fly ball, and now one of the best closers in baseball to shut the door in the ninth.
Somewhere, former Sox owner Bill Veeck is smiling broadly because this team is going to be really fun to watch and fun, as Veeck's son Mike once wrote, is good.
It's almost enough to make Cubs fans ivy green with envy, and the team needs to do something, anything, to make a bold statement to counter the Sox's moves. That could be standing outside Lester's house with a boombox-we used to use those to play music back in the day, all you under-20-somethings-playing Peter Gabriel's "In Your Eyes" and pleading with him to please, take our money, all of it and please love us.
That could be offering free agent pitcher Brandon McCarthy free rein of the team's Twitter account if he agrees to sign here. That could be offering pitcher James Shields the use of the infield tarp as his a Slip 'N Slide during rain delays. Anything to sweeten the pot and upgrade the rotation.
Because absent another move or two, North Siders might be heading south if they want to see any semblance of playoff baseball in 2015.
Matt Lindner is a RedEye special contributor.
