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Red Sox ace Chris Sale named Cy Young favorite in 2017

By Daniel Cassese

Feb 28, 2017; Fort Myers, FL, USA; Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Chris Sale (41) smiles in the dugout as he talks with teammates against the New York Yankees at JetBlue Park. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 28, 2017; Fort Myers, FL, USA; Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Chris Sale (41) smiles in the dugout as he talks with teammates against the New York Yankees at JetBlue Park. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /
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New Boston Red Sox ace is the early favorite to win the American League CY Young Award in Las Vegas.

Bovada Las Vegas revealed their pre-season odds to win the American League CY Young Award and Red Sox fans should be quite happy. Sale, their latest big name acquisition, leads the way. His initial odds come in at 7/2, followed by Corey Kluber at 9/2, and Yu Darvish at 12/1.

Sale has finished in the top-5 among Cy Young candidates in each of the last four seasons, placing as high as third in 2014. Last season alone, he went 17-10 with a 3.34 ERA, posting a 120 ERA+ over 226.2 innings. He also put up 6 complete games, a career high.

The Red Sox dealt a hefty package to acquire the elite left-hander, dealing top prospects Yoan Moncada and Michael Kopech along with Luis Alexander Basabe and Victor Diaz. With health concerns abundant in the club’s starting rotation, they’re going to need to rely on Sale to provide the steady arm atop their rotation. Thankfully, they’ll also have reigning Cy Young Award winner Rick Porcello to help carry the load.

Last season, David Price was Bovada’s initial pick to win the award with 4/1 odds on March 11th. He, of course, went on to struggle in his first season with the Red Sox, putting together a 3.99 ERA, 114 ERA+ and 228 strikeouts in 230 innings pitched. Seems counter-intuitive to suggest that a pitcher that was 14% better than league average and struck out nearly a batter per inning struggled, but such is the case when signing a $217 million contract to play for the Red Sox.

This season, Price is set at 16/1 odds to win the award. He’ll start the season on the DL, presently dealing with an elbow issue that required an MRI and consultation with Dr. James Andrews.

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The only other Red Sox to make the list are Rick Porcello (33/1) and Craig Kimbrel (66/1). It will be interesting to see how these lines move throughout the year but hopefully, Sale stays atop the pack.

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