Boston Red Sox 2017 Player Previews: Chris Sale

For the second year in a row, the Boston Red Sox acquired a star pitcher over the winter, this time by trading for Chris Sale.

When the 2016 Trade Deadline was drawing near, the Boston Red Sox were one of the teams attached to Chicago White Sox ace Chris Sale. Sale ultimately remained in Chicago for the rest of the year, but rumors began popping up linking him to the Red Sox during the Winter Meetings. While the price was too high during the season, Dave Dombrowski eventually got his man.

Sale was acquired in exchange for top prospects Yoan Moncada and Michael Kopech, along with minor leaguers Luis Alexander Basabe and Victor Diaz. In July, the trade likely would have involved one of Mookie Betts or Jackie Bradley, Jr., which Dombrowski quickly declined. Losing Moncada in the deal was a necessary evil, but allowed the team to keep Andrew Benintendi and top prospects, Sam Travis and Rafael Devers.

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Like David Price before him, Sale becomes the latest addition to an ever-improving rotation. The Red Sox potentially now carry three aces in Cy Young winner Rick Porcello, Price (who can only get better in his second season in Boston), and Sale, who many view as the best pitcher in the American League.

Over seven season with the White Sox, Sale has made five straight All-Star teams and never finished lower than sixth in Cy Young voting. Chicago has only had a winning record once over Sale’s five most dominant seasons, so he has yet to pitch in the postseason. He comes with a reputation of absolute dominance, despite receiving relatively poor run support throughout his White Sox career.

Sale has won 17 games twice, pitched more than 200 innings in three of the last four seasons, and struck out at least 200 batters in each of the last four years while never walking more than 50. He has a career ERA of 3.00 in his seven seasons.

Last season, Sale went 17-10 with a 3.34 ERA and 233 strikeouts (he reached a career high of 274 in 2015). He led the league in complete games with six and pitched 226.2 innings. He still finished fifth in Cy Young voting, but many considered it to be one of his worse years in the league.

Sale allowed a career high in hits, home runs, and earned runs. He started the season at 9-0 with a 1.58 ERA, but had fallen to 14-3 with a 3.38 ERA by the All-Star break. He went 3-7 over the rest of the season, giving up 41 runs over his final fourteen starts.

The expectation is that Sale will perform better with a better offense behind him. The Red Sox were poised to be one of the better teams in the league even without him, so moving from Chicago to Boston can only help.

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Sale’s relationship with the White Sox had also turned sour during the team’s difficult summer. He was vocal about his dislike for pitching in the team’s throwback jerseys, so he chose to cut them up with scissors on a night he was supposed to start in one so the team could not wear them. He was scratched from the start (leading to wild speculation that he was being traded) and suspended by the team.

The White Sox were a dysfunctional team regardless of what jerseys they wore, so a change of scenery for Sale is going to help him both personally and professionally. The Red Sox once suffered from similar clubhouse and front office issues, but those days are long past and Sale now joins a young team with a future among the brightest in baseball. He turns 28 at the end of this week and has two team options for 2018 and 2019 on his contract, so the Red Sox are in a good position to keep him part of the core for a long time.

Next: Predicting Boston's Opening Day Roster

With two aces and two potential talents joining him in the rotation, Sale does not have to worry about being the best pitcher on the team and can focus on being the best Chris Sale for the Red Sox.

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