White Sox hang onto Chris Sale, Jose Quintana as deadline passes

CHICAGO -- The Chicago White Sox stayed quiet at Monday's non-waiver trade deadline and held onto All-Star pitchers Chris Sale and Jose Quintana.

Don't think that means management is satisfied.

General manager Rick Hahn again expressed his frustration and hinted at changes this offseason after making no major moves before Monday's deadline.

"Where we're at right now, essentially in the middle of the pack, is not acceptable and not where we want to be," he said. "Our approach of trying to keep things together, of trying to contend each year, hasn't gotten us to where we've been able to have sustained success or achieve at the level we want to."

Chicago is third in the AL Central at 51-54 after a 23-10 start and in danger of missing the playoffs for the 10th time in 11 years since the 2005 championship season. There were rumors that Sale and Quintana could be dealt, but nothing materialized.

The only move the White Sox made was a minor one when they dealt reliever Zach Duke to St. Louis for minor league outfielder Charlie Tilson on Sunday.

Hahn would not commit to a full overhaul this offseason -- out of respect, he said, for the players and coaches "trying to win every game for the remainder of the season."

Even so, he made it clear that possibility is on the table, just as he did recently when he said the White Sox are "mired in mediocrity."

He said the frustration extends all the way to chairman Jerry Reinsdorf. Adding to it is the fact that they have "some very special talent."

"There are certainly multiple pieces here that are capable of playing important roles on a championship club," Hahn said. "It's extraordinarily frustrating to all of us that it hasn't played out other than the first six weeks or so of the season."

Hahn said the White Sox had "intriguing" discussions with other teams, though nothing "we felt strongly enough to bring to Jerry."

Sale and Quintana would no doubt command high prices on the trade market if the White Sox went the overhaul route. That's something the organization has refused to do in recent years, instead trying to stay competitive through trades and free agency.

Further complicating any talks involving Sale and Quintana is that both are on team-friendly contracts that don't expire anytime soon.

The White Sox would have to be blown away by an offer and Hahn said contenders looking to add at the trade deadline did not want to part with players contributing in the majors. He believes more teams will be in the market in the offseason.

"It's gonna be different, and in all probability, it's gonna be stronger," he said. "We are going to be open-minded the next few weeks and head into the offseason with a desire to improve ourselves for the long term. And the clubs ... at that point may be quite different from the ones we were talking to over the last few weeks."

Game notes

The White Sox optioned OF J.B. Shuck to Triple-A Charlotte. He is batting .218 in 53 games over two stints with the major league club.