White Sox being cheap? Or is it just petty people looking for something else baseball-related to gripe about?

The Chicago White Sox this past winter tried to portray themselves as major players to attract the big-star ballplayers who were available on the open market; yet the end result was failure.

Was there ever a chance that Manny Machado or … 

Neither infielder Manny Machado nor outfielder Bryce Harper wound up regarding White Sox offers seriously – which has a certain segment of baseball fans now going out of their way to lambaste the Sox as cheap or amateurish.

… Bryce Harper would have played in Chicago?

SOME EVEN MANAGE to come up with language much more blunt and vulgar – to the point where I wouldn’t feel compelled repeating it here.

Yet I can’t help but think those people are being ridiculous. In part because I suspect many of the same individuals are the same people who spent the winter months when ballplayer negotiations took place lambasting the very idea that these two men were somehow worthy of the big-money, long-term deals they were demanding.

As it turned out, Machado went with the San Diego Padres – which offered him a 10-year, $300 million deal. Harper this week got an even bigger contract; some $330 million over 13 years with the Philadelphia Phillies.

Who, of course, were the baseball franchise whose ownership said they were prepared to spend “stupid” money in order to give themselves an injection of talent that could make them a sudden championship contender.

THE WHITE SOX never made a definitive offer to Harper, while the Machado deal was for some $250 million – with other clauses that could have boosted the overall cost to $350 million.

From journeyman outfielder to nondescript VP?

In theory, Machado could have made more money coming to Chicago, but chose San Diego because he wanted the guaranteed payoff rather than the possibility of more money.

Which has some baseball fans determined to badmouth the South Side ball club by saying the Sox were too amateurish to negotiate firmly – instead acting as though they hoped to get some sort of discount to get Machado in the black-and-white pinstripes of the Sox; rather than wearing the occasional brown-and-yellow throwback uniforms that lead fans to joke about Taco Bell.

I think such criticism is ridiculous – and not just because some of the same fans seem like they’d criticize the Sox for doing a deal AND for not doing a deal.

IT ACTUALLY MAKES me think that White Sox executive vice president Ken Williams had a point when he told the Chicago Sun-Times that, “it’s a shame if it’s being portrayed that we were on the cheap on this thing. That’s really interesting because, holy shit, that’s a quarter of a billion dollars we offered with a chance to be higher than what he’s getting.”

Then again, there probably is an element of a baseball executive trying to downplay the fact that he got beaten out for a ballplayer he wanted to acquire – not only for his on-field talents but also for the large amount of publicity his acquisition would have brought to Chicago.

Which, I suspect, is what has many people eager to bad-mouth them. Or at least those people whose baseball leanings make them delusional enough to root, root, root for the Cubbies.

Perhaps they didn’t like the idea of the White Sox flirting with baseball relevance – and reminding people that Chicago IS a two-team town. No matter how much some Cubs fans are insecure at the thought of anyone paying attention to any team other than themselves.

NOT THAT I’M intending to write an anti-Cubs diatribe here. It’s just that I’m not bothered much by the fact that Machado turned down a White Sox offer and didn’t get serious in trying to win over Harper.

Wasn't good enough to bring championship to Chgo

I still think that if all the rhetoric about the White Sox rebuilding themselves into a serious championship contender has any truth to it, it’s going to be because a significant share of those young minor leaguers already in the Sox system actually turn out to be as good as speculated.

Acquiring either of them would not, by itself, have turned the White Sox into a championship team.

All it would have done was created a deal that would have financially strapped the White Sox for years to come – possibly thwarting any serious efforts to improve the team in the future. As though what the Sox really need is to come up with their own version of Ernie Banks – a star ballplayer whose career was wasted away playing for Cubs teams that never won a thing.

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Brawl for big-name stars could peter out into whole lot of Chicago nothin’

Harper, along with Machado (below) … 

It’s becoming the big joke this winter amongst certain baseball people – that the Chicago White Sox are spewing a whole lot of talk about how they’re trying to win over the two big-name ballplayers available through free agency, yet all they’re really going to do is sign one of those star players’ brother-in-law.

It’s true. The White Sox have managed to pull off a trade – acquiring Yonder Alonso from the Cleveland Indians.

OF COURSE, THE two big names that are getting baseball teams all aroused are Bryce Harper of the Washington Nationals and Manny Machado of the Los Angeles Dodgers; the latter of whom is married to Alonso's sister.

.. are the big names baseball teams are dreaming of

Both are stars who’d be capable of rejuvenating just about any ball club. The White Sox have gone about stirring up a lot of speculation that they’re willing to make serious bids to try to acquire at least one of the two – if not both.

Yet you have to admit it would be oh so typical if it turned out that the White Sox didn’t manage to acquire either. Which would make their acquisition of Alonso come off as quite pathetic.

There is one big reason why the White Sox are so eager to engage in such talk – they need to do something to show the fan base that their talk of wanting to some day have a winning ball club has a basis in reality and is not just wishful thinking.

Are Nova and Alonso (below) … 

BECAUSE THUS FAR, all the youthful talent is NOT holding up to the stories of being on the verge of turning into future stars. Yoan Moncada, who when he was Boston Red Sox property was regarded as the best ballplayer in all the minor leagues, has turned into a .235 hitter for the White Sox.

While supposed future star pitcher Steve Kopech has managed to injure himself, underwent surgery and likely won’t play ball at all during 2019, and Eloy Jimenez has suffered a quad injury while playing baseball this winter with the Cibao Giants of the Dominican League.

Meaning the tales of Jimenez becoming the rookie star of the White Sox for 2019 may have to be postponed – if not tabled altogether.

… the ones the White Sox will settle for?

If the Chicago Cubs rebuild of the early 2010s was the example of everything going right and resulting in a World Series title in 2016, we have to wonder if the White Sox rebuild is evidence of everything going wrong.

WHICH IS WHY gaining a big-name star would be beneficial for the Chicago Sout’ Side ballclub. Particularly if it were to turn out that they acquired Harper – who during his time playing ball in the District of Columbia never made a secret of it that he’d like someday to play for the Chicago Cubs.

On some level, it would be a psychological victory if the White Sox were to gain the guy who could have been a Cub – if only the Cubs weren’t crying broke; in large part because they blew their own money on the big-money deal they offered pitcher Yu Darvish.

Is Darvish the reason Cubs can't compete?

The deal that got the Cubs a 1-win, 3-loss record with a 4.95 earned run average in eight games (only 40 innings pitched) before his own injuries became too serious for him to continue playing.

Then again, could it turn out to be that all the White Sox’ talk of trying to gain Harper is what ultimately motivates the Cubs to try to figure out a way to “do” the big bucks needed to acquire Bryce – who seems determined to want to get the biggest contract ever in baseball history!

Dominican League injury delays Jimenez?

PERSONALLY, IT WOULDN’T bother me in the least if Harper were to choose to go elsewhere – largely because I actually think Machado (a Miami native of Dominican ethnic origins) would be the better fit for this rebuilt White Sox team.

This is one that supposedly can have Cubans (Moncada, Jose Abreu and Luis Robert) as its stars, with a whole slew of other peloteros from Latin American nations, including Jimenez. Machado of Miami might be a better fit and wouldn't have the attitude that has a lot of baseball fans thinking Machado is not worth the fact that HE wants to get the biggest contract ever in baseball history!

Is Moncada really just a .235 hitter?

But one way or another, those two big stars are going to wind up somewhere and likely will get contracts giving them enough funds that (unless they get stupid and waste money) will enable them to never have to work for real for the rest of their lives.

And if it turns out that neither Harper nor Machado choose to come to Chicago, well then White Sox fans will just have to settle for the brother-in-law and the one-time New York Yankees pitcher Ivan Nova as their off-season acquisitions leading into 2019.

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We can all dream about Bryce Harper wearing our favorite team’s laundry

We’re in the off-season, with some of us intrigued by that U.S. All Star team now traveling across Japan to promote the game, while others of us are intrigued by the Silver Slugger awards for the game’s top hitters.

Tired of playing for 'Walgreens?'

Jose Abreu of the White Sox was amongst the winners, making him truly the highlight for the team as they enter Year Three of an alleged rebuild.

YET I SUSPECT most fans are getting worked up over the “free agents,” as in the ballplayers whose contracts have expired – making them free to negotiate with any team they want.

Star Bryce Harper of the Washington Nationals apparently is fed up with the notion of being the capital’s sports celebrity, and is the guy that every team wants to fantasize will head for their city to play beginning in 2019.

That even includes both Chicago teams. The speculation has put both the Cubs and the White Sox on the list of teams intrigued at the thought of having Harper play in their outfield.

There actually once was a time when people seriously were saying that Harper himself fantasized about playing for the Chicago Cubs someday. Harper as a kid grew up in the Las Vegas area, as did Cubs star Kris Bryant.

Childhood/star pairing not likely for Wrigley

THE TWO KNEW each other as kids. They considered each other friends, and both went on to play professional baseball at high levels.

The notion being that Bryant and Harper would unite on the North Side, giving the baby blue Bruins a pair of stars to go along with some of the other talent they have amassed in recent years. A Bryant/Harper pairing could become bigger than the Jordan/Pippen pair that led the Chicago Bulls to basketball stardom back in the ‘90s.

Of course, there’s always the possibility that the very notion was wishful thinking on the part of Cubs fans who have always carried the delusion that EVERYBODY deep down wants to be a Cub or root for the Cubs or have some sort of association with the Cubbies. With that kind of arrogance, you'd think they were the Yankees!

Negotiation prep? Or prank of the Sox?

Now, there’s talk that the Cubs’ payroll obligations are so high that they can’t afford the kind of money it would take to sign him (just to give you an idea, Harper recently turned down an offer of $300 million spread over 10 seasons to remain in Washington).

IN FACT, IT may be that Bryant is too big a financial obligation to the Cubs in the future for them to afford more big name ballplayers. The idea of a Bryant/Harper pair may be too fantastical for the Wrigley Field scene.

Yet in recent days, there has been speculation arising that the White Sox may try to juice up interest in the ball club by spending the big bucks it would take to add Harper to the Sout’ Side scene.

It was spurred on by photographs that were made public of digital images at the United Center depicting Harper’s name, uniform number of 34 (the same as one-time Chicago Bear Walter Payton) and the White Sox’ Old English script logo.

Some say the White Sox (who share the same ownership as the Chicago Bulls) were preparing some sort of video display that could be used as part of a marketing effort to make Harper realize Chicago has two teams -- and that he could become extremely wealthy being Bryant's crosstown rival.

OTHERS SAY IT may have been someone messing around and trying to get White Sox fandom worked up over a ballplayer they can’t have. Although if that was the intent, it flopped. Most White Sox fans are actually ridiculing the notion of Harper playing ball on 35^th Street.

Remains D.C.'s star baseballer of all-time

It may well be that the idea of Harper coming to Chicago on either side of town is too outlandish an ideal. Philadelphia Phillies fans in particular are being fed loads of information implying he’s headed for their team, But it is the time of year where everybody can dream they’re going to get the stars that will make them winners!

But a part of me thinks Harper is being a big short-sighted in not staying in Washington. Admittedly, the Nationals of recent years have been a team with playoff dreams who consistently have managed to fall short.

But could Bryce have become the biggest-name ballplayer ever (topping Hall of Famer Walter Johnson?) to wear a “W” for Washington on his ball cap? Or is he just that tired of having people mistake the curly-cue “W” for a “Walgreens” logo?

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