This 2022 NLCS matchup is nightmare fuel for White Sox fans

At one point, the feeling around the Chicago White Sox was very positive. A lot of people thought that they would be competing for the World Series year after year. However, 2022 has been a major bump in the road after a very successful 2021.

While the rebuild was still going on, Bryce Harper was playing for the Washington Nationals and Manny Machado was playing for the Baltimore Orioles. At the trade deadline of that 2018 season (a contract year for both), the O’s traded Machado to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Harper stayed with Washington. Both of them hit free agency without a contract extension making them available to every team in the league. The White Sox were heavily in on both of them as they each would have filled a need and helped the rebuild along.

Each of them was pursued hard, especially Machado. It really did seem like the White Sox were going to land him and they were so close. With that, being so close but not getting it seems to be the theme of the Chicago White Sox organization.

The White Sox missed on both of their targets during the 2018-19 offseason.

A “surprise team” emerged for Machado and that team ended up being the winner in the San Diego Padres. He signed a very long and lucrative deal with them. A few days later, Bryce Harper agreed to terms with the Philadelphia Phillies.

Both teams took a little while to become contenders with their new stars and there were plenty of ups and downs along the way. Now, they are facing each other in the National League Championship series. This is nightmare fuel for White Sox fans.

The two guys that the team was so heavily invested in signing and came so close to are now facing each other with a berth in the World Series on the line. This is all happening following a year in which the White Sox failed to meet all expectations.

Their teams did other great work outside of signing them but Machado and Harper have been the pillars of their teams ever since signing with them. It is going to be a highly entertaining and competitive series but it will surely be in the back of White Sox fans’ minds.