The JR is cheap narrative comes from the fact that the Grandal contract is the largest in team history.
I'm critical of the team budget myself, but that's because they continually trade prospects when they should be spending money to fill holes. This is the peak year of the window.
So Jerry is cheap on individual player contracts but willing to spend on total payroll. He is unwilling to pay up for premium talent. That's a fact.
Most of the largest contracts in team history are for 1B, corner OF, Catcher or Closer and those aren't as expensive as other more important positions.
Jerry is cheap will not die until he gives out multiple 9 figure deals or at least one $200M deal.