Oh my god. This, this is just cruel.
So, Zack Wheeler is signing with the Phillies, agreeing to a five-year contract worth $118 million. The White Sox weren't just a finalist to sign the free agent, but according to The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal, the White Sox actually offered Wheeler more money than the Phillies.
It turns out that one of the factors into Wheeler's decision to sign in Philadelphia was the proximity of his fiancée's family that live in New Jersey.
So, in this case, it wasn't all about the money.
Bob Nightengale says the White Sox offered Wheeler at least $120 million.
Ehh, it's only a $2 million difference.
Now, I have to wonder if the offer from the White Sox for more money was with incentives or actual guaranteed money. Remember, the White Sox walked away from talks with Manny Machado with a bigger deal in their eyes because they offered him an eight-year contract for $250 million that included a couple vesting options that could have seen Machado make $350 million over 10 years. Machado ended up taking the guaranteed $300 million with the Padres.
Hmmm, White Sox making sure everyone gets the message.
Still, it was only a $2 million difference.
Doesn't really matter how close the White Sox were, this is just another tally in the loss column for Rick Hahn.
