Bryce Harper is truly a cornerstone for the Philadelphia Phillies today. But before he donned red and white, he seriously had a chance to make it big in the Windy City. Back in 2019, he was eyeing the opportunity to move to Chicago by joining the White Sox. For some reason, it didn’t happen. And many didn’t even know about it until it resurfaced and went viral on X. Only this time, it has sent shockwaves through the MLB world.

According to a viral X story, a White Sox fan recently bumped into Harper and quipped how relieved he was the slugger never joined the South Siders. Because let’s face it, the White Sox are in a dire position, and if last year was their worst, this year can hardly be called an improvement. But surprisingly, Harper’s response was not a “phew!” Rather, he said that the White Sox were his favorite team to visit during the time.

The fan probably thought it was just a white lie, but to prove the point, Harper asked his wife, “Babe, who was my favorite team visit?” She, lo and behold, confirmed, “The White Sox.” So, what derailed the deal?

Well, it turns out that it wasn’t Harper who walked away from the deal—it was the White Sox franchise. Rather, it was specifically the longtime owner Jerry Reinsdorf who reportedly skipped an important second meeting with the Phillies superstar. What could have been a franchise-defining moment simply vanished into thin air – all because Reinsdorf didn’t take any accountability. For a club that’s languishing at the bottom of the standings, this misstep cuts deeper than ever.

And if you think that things have changed, and maybe Reinsdorf would want to rev things up, you are wrong. For now, he wants to change nothing. In fact, according to Bob Nightengale, Reinsdorf has clarified that he has no intention to sell the team as long as he is in good health. He even shot down all the interest Justin Ishbia in buying the team.

Fans are not just asking, “How will this season pass?” Rather demanding for Reinsdorf to step down, and this news of losing Harper has created havoc online. Most are refusing to believe that the Phillies’ star ever had a chance to land with the Sox.

Chicago White Sox fans choose denial over heartbreak

If you are a White Sox fan, there are two things you can do—laugh or cry dramatically into your morning coffee. One user chose the sane option of being in complete denial of the fact. And who can blame him? The Sox are suffering through a 41-121 season; that’s the worst in history, too. So basically, they are hanging by a thread, and expectations for this season have reached rock bottom. BetMGM set their win total at a brutal 54.5, which is alarming.

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Most of the fans don’t want to believe the news that Harper was ever going to make it to the White Sox. This one comment screams sarcasm. Because let’s be real, the team has been in this limbo for years. They were in what was called a rebuild, but until now, the results are invisible. The condition is so dire that they are favored to not just have the worst record; the Colorado Rockies seem to have better bets than them. That’s how far the Sox have fallen.

One user in X simply wanted to spill some honesty. The White Sox are simply not the team to entertain expensive contracts. Meanwhile, Harper’s deal with the Phillies was for a whopping $330 million. The Sox’s $75 million deal to Andrew Benintendi in 2022 just says enough about their spending appetite. So, one doesn’t need to be a Wall Street Journal to know they were not going to land a generation star.

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Meanwhile, a user rightly pointed out that a similar story even came out about Harper and the Chicago Cubs. In an interview just a week back, he mentioned that his no. 1 pick during free agency was the Cubs. So this coming out a week later just rings untrue for many. Right now, though, both the Chicago teams’ fans might be stuck in a “what-if” phase. Given, of course, they believe Harper and his team wanted to join the teams.

Many fans are simply unbothered. And it is understandable why fans have stopped caring; it’s because of the grim front office decisions and years of bad baseball. Rebuilds are one thing, but when the front office refuses to spend on the team and get someone they can build a franchise around, it hurts. It doesn’t matter if it is Harper or any other player; the fans want someone notable. Otherwise, the calls for ‘sell the team’ will only increase with time.

The bottom line is that baseball for the Chicago White Sox feels like emotional damage now. Unless something wild happens, 2025 might just be another long year. Do you think Harper ever had a chance to join the White Sox?