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CHICAGO – At this point, one of these Rick Hahn rumors is going to become official so if the White Sox don’t want to lose their general manager star in the making it might be time for a promotion.

The White Sox assistant general manager has been the right-hand man to GM Kenny Williams for 11 seasons now and is highly respected for his work with contract negotiations and his growing expertise as a talent evaluator.

Reports have now surfaced that Hahn is a strong candidate for the Los Angeles Angels’ general manager vacancy. He was also talked about as a possibility for the Cubs opening and interviewed with the New York Mets last offseason when they had a GM opening.

Somebody is expected to take a chance on Hahn at some point and this could be the time. Hahn is a native of Winnetka, went to the University of Michigan and also Harvard Law School so he has ties to a variety of areas.

He also has ties to the Angels’ neck of the woods having worked at Steinberg, Moorad & Dunn sports agency in Newport Beach, Calif., for two years.

The White Sox could go the route that the Cubs are expected to follow and make Williams a team president much like the team across town is about to do with Theo Epstein. Then Hahn can move into the White Sox’s general manager role.

How the White Sox divide up responsibilities between Hahn and Williams could go a long way to deciding if Hahn would be up for the promotion. If their duties stay the same and only their titles change that might not be enough of a challenge for Hahn.

But there is a possibility that things might not be much different if Hahn goes to the Angels. The talk has always been that field manager Mike Scioscia has a huge influence on player personnel decisions, perhaps as much or more than any other manager in baseball. Would the GM role with the Angels essentially be akin to an assistant GM job elsewhere?

It’s obvious, though, that the clock is ticking on Hahn once again. Saying that he will one day get a GM job isn’t just giving him a compliment, the number of teams expressing interest in him is growing.

If the White Sox want to keep Hahn, they might want to show him what he means to the organization.

Count Chicago White Sox pitcher John Danks among those who believe Rick Hahn would be a good choice as the Chicago Cubs' next general manager.

Hahn, who is the Sox vice president/assistant GM, is considered one of the top GM prospects in baseball. And Danks, appearing on "Chicago Gamenight" on ESPN 1000 on Tuesday said Hahn would be a good choice for any team.

"I think he'd be a good GM anywhere," Danks said. "I know there's a lot of interest, just from the whispers you hear around the field.

"He's very good at what he does. He and [GM Ken Williams] do a good job working together. I think Rick will be successful wherever he goes."

ESPNChicago.com's Bruce Levine reported that Hahn has a clause in his contract allowing him to talk to a handful of teams about a GM opening, and the Cubs are on that list. Hahn was a finalist for the New York Mets job last year.

One of baseball's best and brightest will be able to interview for the vacant Chicago Cubs' general manager's post if called upon.

White Sox vice president and assistant general manager Rick Hahn has a clause in his contract that allows him to interview with a handful of major league teams for a GM position, and the Cubs are on that list, according to a major league source.

Hahn previously has interviewed for the St. Louis Cardinals and New York Mets jobs. The Winnetka native pulled himself out of contention for the Cardinals job after two interviews. In 2010, he finished runner-up to Sandy Alderson for the Mets job.

What may be the most interesting element to any pursuit of Hahn may be the way Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf approaches Hahn's position. Hahn, GM Kenny Williams and Reinsdorf make up the brain trust for all White Sox baseball decisions. Hahn is the highest paid assistant GM in baseball, according to industry sources. And he's considered one of the top GM prospects.

Knowing the Cubs may be seriously interested in Hahn, Reinsdorf may decide to promote Williams to a position with a greater title such as team president and move Hahn into the general manager post. This would be similar to the move Reinsdorf made with the Chicago Bulls, where former GM John Paxson was promoted to VP position above general manager Gar Forman.

Hahn is considered the No. 1 candidate in baseball who is not a GM. SI and Baseball America have named Hahn as the top of the line in the next wave of GM stars.

Hahn would have a tough choice to make if the Cubs do call and Reinsdorf does change the structure of his front office in order to retain what he may consider an irreplaceable employee.

Chicago White Sox vice president and assistant general manager Rick Hahn has a clause in his contract that allows him to interview with a handful of team for a GM position, and the Chicago Cubs are on that list, a major league source told ESPNChicago.com's Bruce Levine.

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CHICAGO -- White Sox assistant general manager Rick Hahn is about as far from self-serving as they come and that wasn't about to change Friday regardless of the circumstances.

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The New York Mets have narrowed their search for a general manager to two candidates: longtime former GM and current MLB executive Sandy Alderson and former Diamondbacks general manager Josh Byrnes, the team announced in a statement.


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The White Sox’s two main copilots both are keeping their head down, electing to fly straight rather than concern themselves with what could lie ahead.

Assistant general manager Rick Hahn and bench coach Joey Cora both have declined to talk about high-profile opportunities with other organizations, not only out of respect for those clubs, but for their current one as well.

From the outset since Hahn’s name has been linked to the vacant New York Mets GM vacancy, he has offered what amounts to a polite no-comment when it comes to the position he reportedly interviewed for two weeks ago.

Cora isn’t talking about his reported interview last week with the Milwaukee Brewers and one that is expected to be coming with the Toronto Blue Jays.

Both of them know how hard it is to quietly conduct business in this new media age where every idea, plan and step seems to be chronicled in a blog, tweet, radio update or the tried and true way of appearing in black and white in a newspaper story. Hahn knows it all too well as the right-hand man to GM Kenny Williams.

But it isn’t just the Mets, Brewers and Blue Jays these men are trying to respect. It is also the White Sox themselves, an organization that both of them have worked passionately for and have been dedicated to.

Talking about their potential opportunities, no matter how enticing they are, is akin to crafting a Facebook post about an upcoming first date with the girl you just met when you haven’t even broken up with your girlfriend yet. Nothing good could come of it.

So while huge voids could be left in the organization, and backup plans are being formulated to replace both Hahn and Cora, they are each going about their business as if they aren’t going anywhere. In Hahn’s case, he was in his office at 35th and Shields bright and early the day after being the toast of the town in New York.

Hahn might be good at talking contracts, while Cora is adept at talking strategy with manager Ozzie Guillen, but neither seems to feel comfortable talking about what might be in their immediate future.

NEW YORK -- The New York Mets have interviewed Chicago White Sox assistant general manager Rick Hahn in their search to hire a GM.

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If you squint at it and adjust our eyes just so, White Sox assistant general manager Rick Hahn could be the Mets’ hand-picked choice to be their new general manager.

Hahn goes under the interview microscope on Tuesday, meeting with the team’s chief operating officer Jeff Wilpon and acting general manager John Ricco, among other team executives. The GM spot was left vacant after Omar Minaya was fired at the end of the season.

There are a couple of things Hahn has going for him that set him apart from the other candidates. No. 1, Hahn is a Michigan graduate just like Mets principal owner Fred Wilpon. No. 2 -- and this one is more revealing -- is that one of the stated interests in a new Mets GM is an assistant that is viewed as an up-and-comer.

Of the known candidates, Hahn is the only one that fits that criteria to the letter.

Allard Baird, the Red Sox’s scouting director and former Royals GM, was interviewed Monday. Hahn goes Tuesday, of course. Josh Byrnes, the Diamondbacks’ former general manager interviews Wednesday. At the end of the week, the candidates are Sandy Alderson, the former A’s GM and San Diego president who is currently working for Major League Baseball, and Dodgers assistant GM Logan White.

Only White comes close to matching Hahn as an assistant who is an up-and-comer. But while Hahn is the right-hand man to White Sox GM Kenny Williams with an emphasis on negotiating major-league contracts, White has been head of the Dodgers’ amateur scouting department since 2002.

It’s that experience in contract negotiation that would serve the Mets well. The new Mets GM is set to inherit a payroll over $130 million. Under Minaya, the team added a number of big-money players but the former GM really stumbled with mid-level contracts, giving four years and $25 million to Luis Castillo and three years and $36 million to Oliver Perez.

The Mets would have liked to add Roy Oswalt at the trade deadline but the division rival Phillies did instead. Why? More payroll flexibility, for one.

So if the Mets are looking for an up-and-coming money man, who has done essentially everything a GM is required to do and can talk Wolverines football with the team’s principal owner, well then perhaps the job really is Hahn’s to lose.

CHICAGO -- Chicago White Sox vice president/assistant general manager Rick Hahn will interview for the New York Mets general manager position next week, according to a Major League Baseball source.


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CHICAGO -- Gordon Beckham is hoping to get back into the White Sox lineup, but manager Ozzie Guillen says Beckham will rest his injured hand for at least one more day.

“I just need to gauge and see how it feels,” Beckham said. “It just depends on whether I can swing the bat and swing it well. That’s the big thing.”

Guillen doesn’t want to rush Beckham.

“Hopefully he plays, not tomorrow, but the next day.” Guillen said. “One swing of the bat and he could go backwards. We’re not going to push Gordon to do something he shouldn’t be doing.”

The White Sox will continue to play their regulars in hopes of finishing the season strong.

“We’ve got to win as many games as we can,” Guillen said. Our job is to go out there, finish strong. Our goal is to win as many games as we can.”

Guillen isn’t sure if closer Bobby Jenks will join the team on their west coast road trip starting Monday in Oakland.

“He’s one guy I don’t count on,” Guillen said. “Because I don’t know how far along he is.”

Guillen said that he doesn’t think infielder Dayan Viciedo is ready to play in the major leagues on a daily basis

“I don’t think he’s ready yet,” Guillen said. “You see a couple of good at-bats here and there, but I think he’s still a year or two years away from playing every day in the big leagues. He can be a good big league player, but will it be next year? That will be up to him, to see how fast he grows up.”

If the New York Mets general manager job opens up, White Sox assistant general manager Rick Hahn will be asked to interview, according to numerous major league sources. The sources say the Mets are ready to buy out the $2.2 million remaining on current general manager Omar Minaya’s contract that runs through 2012.

Texas Rangers general manager Jon Daniels is also expected to be interviewed by the Mets if and when the GM position opens up. Daniels, who is in line for Major League Baseball’s Executive of the Year award, has an opt-out clause in his present contract. The Rangers are trying to sign Daniels to an extension, according to MLB sources.