Are the Chicago White Sox really “cheap?”

Kenny Williams said the Chicago White Sox aren’t cheap — is he right?

The pain of missing out on both Manny Machado and Bryce Harper is still very real, and very ram for Chicago White Sox fans. For those looking to heal by turning the page and focusing on the upcoming season, your task is not being made easy by the team’s management.

Yesterday, after the Philadelphia Phillies signed Bryce Harper to a 13 year/$330 million deal (approximately $25 million AAV). After the news broke, someone stuck a microphone in Kenny Williams’ face, and he, unfortunately, took the bait. In a piece by Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times, Williams was discussing the disappointment of missing out on Machado and was quoted follows:

"“I was going to say it has already passed for us, but [general manager] Rick [Hahn] and I were talking about it yesterday, and it ain’t [bleeping] passed.’ It’s a shame if it’s being portrayed that we were on the cheap on this thing. That’s really interesting because, holy s—, that’s a quarter of a billion dollars we offered with a chance to be higher than what he’s getting.’’"

Then the subject of Harper came up and Williams doubled-down on the ridiculous narrative that the Sox ‘did all they could.’ He apparently told the Sun-Times that Harper was “well out of our range,” meaning they did not have the money to sign him — or more accurately, didn’t want to spend the money.

Look, the $250 million they offered Machado is a ton of money, which is why at some level you understand Williams’ disappointment at being considered ‘cheap.’ However, what should be really worrisome to Sox fans is not whether they’re cheap, but whether they’re delusional.

At least publicly, Williams has seemed puzzled by the suggestion that the San Diego Padres offer to Machado was better than the Sox offer. Despite Machado’s insistence that guaranteed money was his priority, Williams still feels that a contract with less guaranteed money and more incentives was better. There’s a fundamental disconnect there that is troubling. Almost as troubling as them losing out on a generational talent for a measly $50 million.

Second, even if you look at the team’s offer to Machado, it was for 8 years/$250 million guaranteed, with incentives that could have pushed it to $350 million. But even from a guaranteed standpoint, they were willing to go a shade over $31 million AAV for Machado. Somehow, though, Harper’s $25 million AAV is “well out of [their] range?” In what universe does that logic make sense?

So whether the Sox are cheap is a question that many fans will debate the entire season, but there are more pressing concerns than their level of frugality.