Boston Red Sox: 3 bold predictions for the 2022 season
Boston Red Sox bold predictions: Chris Sale will win just six games
From pretty much the moment Chris Sale signed his five year, $145 million deal in the aftermath of the Red Sox 2018 World Series victory, everything has gone downhill for him. He labored through 25 starts in 2019, eventually got Tommy John surgery, and only made his return in August of last season. Even once he returned though, Sale didn’t really look like his old self.
His numbers in nine regular season starts were good (5-1, 3.16 ERA, 52 K), but he wasn’t the same dominant version of himself he was before his injury. He was basically a two-pitch pitcher, as he could not consistently locate his changeup enough for it to be used consistently. This led to him getting rocked in all three of his postseason starts, two of which ended up resulting in losses.
Want your voice heard? Join the Chowder And Champions team!
There was hope Sale would be able to figure things out again this season with a full offseason under his belt, but he announced he had suffered a rib injury right as Spring Training started up, and he won’t be ready when the season starts. It’s just another setback for a pitcher who was at one point in time the most dominant left handed starter in the game.
Sale has been a mess since his new deal (truthfully, the troubles started late in 2018), and his new contract has been a massive loss so far. Nobody knows when Sale will come back, and even when he does return, how good will he be? He’s 33 years old, hasn’t been an effective pitcher for three seasons now, and is coming off yet another injury.
Maybe Sale returns and dominates, but I wouldn’t count on that happening, especially after last season. Many figure he can still be an ace, but Sale only profiles as a middle rotation guy at this point. Even if he makes an early return, I don’t see Sale having a successful season, and he will labor through another campaign where he only wins six of his starts.