Levine: After Adding Catching Depth, White Sox Gear Up For Possible Trades

By Bruce Levine--

CHICAGO (CBS) -- As the Winter Meetings near, the White Sox continue to look for more offense while also stabilizing a franchise that has had recent down times both on and off the field. Adding two catchers in one week appears to signal that the club will continue to change the mix of players until better results are attained.

Veteran catcher Dioner Navarro was signed to a one-year, $4-million deal Friday. He will share the position with Alex Avila, who last week signed a one-year deal worth $2.5 million. These short-term commitments give the White Sox front office some latitude going forward. The team has an evolving young pitching staff with a huge upside and a mixed bag of veterans and young position players.

"We feel we are more well-rounded at (catcher) moving forward," general manager Rick Hahn said. "When the opportunity presented itself to add both Dioner and Alex, we feel from a run scoring standpoint that we are stronger. From a run-prevention standpoint, that there will not be that significant of a difference from where we were in 2015."

The White Sox's flurry of offseason deals and signings last winter produced a club that finished first in moves made and 10 games under .500 in 2015. Chicago has had three bad seasons in succession. This type of failure in a big market is rarely tolerated by ownership without major changes being made. In the case of team chairman Jerry Reinsdorf, he still has faith in his management group despite the White Sox averaging just shy of 71 wins over the past three seasons.

Hahn and executive vice president Kenny Williams must put a better starting nine on the field. This must be accomplished without spending more money after hitting about $120 million in payroll this past season.

The infield appears to be the place that new faces must be added. A third baseman, shortstop and second baseman are difficult to detect on the team's 25-man roster for Opening Day 2016. The team can look to Tyler Saladino and Carlos Sanchez as possible candidates for the second base and shortstop derby. Both players are competent fielders who lack the offensive punch needed to be everyday performers.

Despite starting his rookie season on an offseason tear following a midsummer debut, Saladino finished with .225 batting average with four homers and 20 RBIs in 68 games. Sanchez solidified the second base spot on defense but hit .224 with little run production.

"It's safe to say (we want to add infield production)," Hahn said. "When you look at us on paper, you see the need to improve our production at a couple of spots. They are mostly focused on the infield. We believe in Saladino's ability, especially from a defensive point to be a solid contributor at a number of positions. Carlos improved offensively in the second half and did a nice job defensively from the day he joined the club. We are not gong to close ourselves off from any area we can improve overall."

The White Sox may have to move a rotation pitcher in order to add a big infield bat. Many teams would love to trade for left-hander Chris Sale or left-hander Jose Quintana. Hahn has insisted from the first day he took over the GM post that there are no untouchables in his organization.

"We don't have anyone on our roster that is an untouchable," Hahn said. "We would not be doing our jobs if we didn't hear people out. We certainly know the value of some of the very unique talent we have under control for the next several years. We understand the value they provide us, as well as what they could yield on the market ... We want to have nice things here too. We believe premium talent belongs on this roster. We still have a responsibility to listen and hear other people's ideas. If we are overwhelmed on a player, perhaps there would be something there."

Hahn wouldn't say how far up the chain his payroll will go in 2016. MLB will announce at some point in 2016 that it's a $10 billion-per-year-grossing industry now. Hahn wouldn't say if that increase would impact the White Sox payroll.

"The payroll will be determined the way it always is," Hahn said. "It's based on what is coming in (revenues) and fixed costs. The rest goes off to improving the major league team or the baseball operations department as a whole. If there is more coming in, then there will be more going out."

Going into the Winter Meetings, the White Sox have about $100 million committed toward the payroll in 2016. There are a few minor arbitration cases to get finished. Chicago had $30 million come off of the books with Alexei Ramirez, Jeff Samardzija, Jeff Keppinger, Matt Albers, Gordon Beckham and Geovany Soto all departing as free agents.

Bruce Levine covers the Cubs and White Sox for 670 The Score and CBSChicago.com. Follow him on Twitter @MLBBruceLevine.