Major League Baseball

White Sox GM Hahn optimistic about signing Rodon

Published Jun. 9, 2014 8:02 p.m. ET

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CHICAGO (AP) General manager Rick Hahn says the Chicago White Sox have a ''positive history'' with agent Scott Boras, and he thinks they will be able to work together again when it comes to top draft pick Carlos Rodon.

The White Sox made Rodon the No. 3 overall selection on Thursday night. The 6-foot-3 left-hander from North Carolina State was widely regarded as the top college pitcher available and had been in the mix to go No. 1 overall. He followed a dominant sophomore year with a solid but not spectacular junior season.

Making his first public comments since the draft, Hahn cited his experience with other current or former White Sox players represented by Boras as a reason to believe the super agent will not be an issue when it comes to reaching a deal with Rodon. The deadline for signing amateur draft picks is July 18.

''A fair amount of this concern, or discussion on how this could be difficult, I think is unnecessary and really not significant to us determining what's going to happen here,'' Hahn said before Monday night's game against Detroit.

''This will be the last time I discuss any negotiations until we get to the point where Carlos is ready to sign and start his professional career or has elected to go down a different path. But as we enter into this we intend to be aggressive, be fair and make an offer that, hopefully, convinces him it's time to begin his professional career.''

Rodon has a mid-90s mph fastball and a strong slider. He went 6-7 with a 2.01 ERA and 117 strikeouts in 98 2-3 innings this season for the Wolfpack.

Rodon was believed to be among the most major league-ready pitchers available in the draft, prompting comparisons to ace left-hander Chris Sale when he went to the White Sox. Sale was the No. 13 selection in the 2010 draft out of Florida Gulf Coast University and made his major league debut that summer.

''I think it's not fair to expect this player to follow the same path that Chris Sale followed,'' Hahn said. ''But given the talent and given our experience with it, it's not unreasonable to at least consider it.''

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Jay Cohen can be reached at http://www.twitter.com/jcohenap

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