Chicago White Sox News: Dallas Keuchel comments were disappointing

The Chicago White Sox newest starting pitcher made some disappointing comments over the sign-stealing scandal.

Even if you are a Chicago White Sox fan, you can’t help but get caught up in the conversation about the Houston Astros sign-stealing scandal. It has dominated the conversation this offseason and taken a lot of the focus away from what occurred in free agency and expectations for the 2020 season. However, one of those free agents, Dallas Keuchel brought the scandal a little closer to home with some disappointing comments.

Keuchel was a part of the Astros team that won the World Series in 2017 beating the Los Angeles Dodgers in seven games. That Dodgers team included current Chicago Cubs starting pitcher, Yu Darvish, who lost two games that series, including the decisive Game 7. Darvish has been pretty open about the impact those losses had on his psyche.

In recent days, the Astros organization and some of its current players, have horribly misstepped as they’ve attempted to apologize for their cheating scandal. Rather than appearing contrite and remorseful, they have come off as unapologetic and indignant. In many instances, they have even tried to assert that their cheating either had no impact or that they won the World Series in spite of their cheating.

That lack of awareness and disconnect from reality was also evident in Keuchel’s comments. Keuchel told reporters, “we’re always going to be World Series champs because we were talented and, to me, we earned the right to be World Series champs.”

Keuchel’s statement is as tone-deaf as it is wrong. Yes, perhaps the team was talented, but to say that they “earned” the right to be World Series champs is preposterous. Implicit in the word “earn” is the notion that the objective achieved was done without wrongdoing. No one claims a thief “earned” the money he stole.

Granted, the thief may have been particularly good at his craft and might have even put in hours of preparation for the heist, but the fact is he obtained the money through illicit means. Just like the Astros obtained the World Series title through illicit means.

How other White Sox players react to and deal with Keuchel’s comments is for each of them to figure out on their own. But as a fan of the game, those comments were supremely disappointing.