Hahn on 2020 delay: 'We will get through this'

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Here are some takeaways from Friday’s conference call involving White Sox general manager Rick Hahn and Scott Reifert, the organization’s senior vice president, communications.

They addressed numerous White Sox issues related to Major League Baseball’s cancellation of the remaining Spring Training games and a delay to the start of the 2020 regular season due to the national emergency created by the coronavirus pandemic.

After an in-person meeting with MLB Players Association officials in Arizona, Major League Baseball announced Friday that Spring Training camps would be suspended, effective immediately. Major League players can elect to return home, remain in their Spring Training cities, which would be Glendale with a few of the White Sox living in the area, or return to their club’s home city in Chicago. This step is in the best interests of players, employees and the communities who host Spring Training, per MLB.

White Sox are healthy
Hahn said in the interest of full disclosure, the White Sox have no players or staff in either big league or Minor League camp exhibiting any symptoms of the coronavirus.

“Knock on wood,” Hahn said.

The promising season remains promising
The coronavirus issue affecting the entire country is far bigger than halting what could be a special 2020 White Sox season before it even begins, featuring top young players such as Luis Robert, Eloy Jiménez and Yoán Moncada, to name a few.

“Look, none of us here are focused right now on any selfish interests or what may be lost in terms of opportunity,” Hahn said. “Instead, I think we're focused on providing whatever physical and emotional support is needed for players or staff to get through what is a difficult time beyond the world of baseball.

“We hope to be back playing games soon. Unfortunately, that's beyond the control of anyone's individual will right now.”

The White Sox hold a high level of optimism for not only the 2020 possibilities, but certainly exciting possibilities beyond. After all, this rebuild plan centers upon sustained success, not a one-year jump.

“We know we will get through this. We know there's another side of this at some point,” Hahn said. “We know we'll be playing baseball games again, and we know it's going to be an exciting era for White Sox baseball in the not so distant future.

“It makes sense for the greater good of society as a whole to delay that for a period of time. We understand that. We know where we fit in and we look forward to, when the time is right, bringing a great deal of happiness to people who will certainly be missing this game and in need of something to pick them up, in all probability.”

Pitching is the trickiest issue
Starting pitching, in particular, presents the trickiest preparation. Lucas Giolito, the projected Opening Day starter, threw one total Cactus League inning due to a minor chest strain, despite doing quite a bit of side work, while projected fifth starter Gio González (left shoulder discomfort) never pitched in a Cactus League game.

“It might not be quite as imperative that, say, a starter throws every fifth day right now,” Hahn said. “You might give him an extra day here or there or slow down their build from four innings and 60 pitches to five innings and 75 pitches, let them do another one at four and 60 or something.”

The hiatus dictates how much time the team will need to get ready
Many of the players have their legs underneath them from one month’s worth of Spring Training action, but a longer absence requires more return work and more games.

“We’ve got guys who are built to a certain level and it's a matter of sort of maintaining that and then building off that,” Hahn said. “So, it won't be an extremely long period of games at that point. Now, obviously things change and for whatever reason, people return home and we pick up again at a later date, it's really going to be a function of how long that hiatus is.”

The ticket conundrum
For those fans who previously purchased tickets to regular-season games being postponed, Reifert preached patience.

“At this point, all 30 teams are dealing with this. We’re working with Major League Baseball, our ticketing folks in Chicago,” Reifert said. “What we’re asking fans to do is to kind of be patient and understanding of the situation. We hope to have some information that we’ll be able to share with them by early next week.

“But they are working, literally, there are conference calls going on throughout the day. Fans should sit tight for now and we will reach out to them directly as well as through the media to kind of let them know procedures as we move forward.”