In Hahn, Angels' gain would be Sox' loss

If White Sox assistant general manager Rick Hahn gets the GM job with the Los Angeles Angels, a sizable void will be left alongside Sox GM Ken Williams in the Sox front office.

Widely regarded as one of baseball’s top GM prospects, Hahn’s strong suit is negotiating player contracts. Before joining the Sox 12 seasons ago, Hahn spent two years as an associate at California-based sports agency Steinberg, Moorad & Dunn. He is known to have a good rapport with agents, and might be just the man Angels owner Arte Friedman is looking for.

“Arte is looking for a guy who is buddy-buddy with the agents who can do that kind of stuff,” a major-league source said. “That’s Hahn’s forte.”

Rays GM Andrew Friedman met with Moreno this week and was said to be Moreno’s top choice, but a source told FOX Sports that Friedman “is not going.” Hahn and MLB vice president for baseball operations Kim Ng, a former assistant GM with the Yankees and Dodgers who would be baseball’s first female GM, are the top two candidates according to one source. Diamondbacks executive Jerry Dipoto, Yankees scouting director Damon Oppenheimer and Yankees senior director of pro personnel Billy Eppler are also expected to be interviewed.

A Winnetka native, Glencoe resident and father of two, Hahn is comfortable in Chicago. Travel is limited for an assistant GM, which is a plus. If Hahn waits around, he could be in line to the be the next Sox GM. Williams’ contract is up after the season, and if the Sox endure another flop in 2012, it’s not out of the question that chairman Jerry Reinsdorf hands the reins to Hahn.

Reinsdorf could remove the risk of losing Hahn by bumping Williams up and making Hahn the GM now.