Rozner: White Sox not surprised to be in on Machado, Harper

There's no disputing any longer that the White Sox have pulled up a chair at the most important free-agent table in decades, in the process disposing of some archaic franchise narratives and dispelling the belief that this was mere artless exercise.

Still, it is one thing to talk of getting a seat and flipping in the ante, and it is quite another to be properly staked and prepared to play.

Yes, the Sox are in on Manny Machado and Bryce Harper, the extent to which the Sox might not even know themselves, but offering hundreds of millions to a pair of players is no minor obligation.

No one needs reminding that the team is only two years into a complete rebuild, so when did they decide that they would get in this game, and when did they start to believe the team would be taken seriously?

“It is accurate to say that we have been discussing this since the start of the rebuild,” general manager Rick Hahn said of a process that began 25 months ago with the trade of Chris Sale to Boston. “Now, again, it takes two to tango. You can express interest in a player. You can explain why it's a fit. You can explain the vision going forward.

“And they can say, respectfully, 'Appreciate it, but our interests are elsewhere.'”

That is not to say that this has necessarily occurred.

“No, but keep in my mind that these guys not only have free choice that they've worked extremely hard to get that,” Hahn said. “They also could conceivably look at us and say, 'Some teams are closer to winning a championship, so it's not the right fit right now.'”

So you knew two years ago that you would be going after these monster players if they indeed took it all the way to free agency?

“Our intent has been there for a while, for a couple years, since the start,” Hahn said. “Whether we were able to get ourselves into this position, we couldn't predict until you get into the room.”

The White Sox are obviously not ready to win a World Series, which is generally when teams go after what they consider to be the final pieces of the puzzle, but these are generational players at such a young age in free agency, and those kinds of players don't get to market very often.

Think Greg Maddux. Think Alex Rodriguez. Think Carlos Beltran.

That makes it worth paying the player for years in which you may not compete for the big prize.

“Especially on position players where the risk is a little bit lighter,” Hahn said. “When you see a long-term fit, the opportunity to convert on those, the window (on free agents like these) isn't open in perpetuity.

“Yes, there may be some trade-deadline opportunities when we're ready to win. There may be a different batch of needs when we're ready to win. But you can't control when these guys become free agents and when there's a chance to convert on a premium guy, you take the chance.”

It's so early in the rebuild process that most industry types didn't see the Sox as bidding in this free-agent class, but given what they were able to acquire in return for some big pieces with team-friendly contracts, the Sox might believe 2020 is a real possibility, rather than the fifth year in 2021.

That being the case, paying a free agent for a year in which they probably won't compete has some logic to it.

“In terms of our view of this class and future free-agent classes, we've been transparent about the fact that we know where we are in this rebuild,” Hahn said. “Arguably, that's a little premature for other clubs who have gone through this and given where we are as an organization and where our prospects are, and what our likelihood is to win a championship in 2019.

“Arguably, it's a little soon to be adding significant free agents. We get that. We also realize that there will be other offseasons in the not-too-distant future where it's even more essential that we add that talent because we are within a foreseeable championship window.”

Ten months from now, it's possible the Sox could be back shopping for the likes of Nolan Arenado, Anthony Rendon, Scooter Gennett and Gerrit Cole, to name just a few.

“We went into this (winter) with the thought of being opportunistic,” Hahn said. “If things were able to line up in a way that we were able to further cement this rebuild, and put ourselves in a stronger position for the long term, we were going to do everything in our power to convert on that opportunity.”

Have they done enough? Will they need to dig deeper? And would either of these players really be willing to gamble on the South Siders' rebuild?

Spring training is just over two weeks away. They may have to wait even longer than that for an answer.