Red Sox: Will Chris Sale be more conservative in 2019?

The Red Sox will be heading down to Fort Myers soon as Spring Training approaches. How can Chris Sale use this spring to ramp up his 2019 season?

Without a shadow of a doubt the 2018 Red Sox World Series campaign that will never be forgotten. A big Boston was able to raise the Commissioner’s Trophy in October was due to the left arm of Chris Sale. Sale was the ace of the rotation all season long, even with two stints on the disabled list.

That brings us to the question at hand as pitchers and catchers will be reporting soon to Fort Myers. How will Sale and the Red Sox approach the preseason for their crafty southpaw? Going into the 2018 season Sale got a late start as far as his appearances go in Spring Training. I imagine 2019 will follow a similar gameplan, especially after how 2018 ended.

More from Red Sox News

• Red Sox Nation deserves far more from Fenway Sports Group
• Bizarre trade deadline comes back to haunt Red Sox after Nathan Eovaldi departure
• Red Sox’ Moneyball-style offseason continues with Corey Kluber contract
• Rich Hill’s Red Sox departure puts him within striking distance of unique MLB record
• Red Sox offseason takes another nasty hit with Nathan Eovaldi departure

Throughout the season Sale battled left shoulder inflammation and the ailment cost him big chunks of the second half of the season. What was an early contender for a CY Young campaign turned into just a good season due the to the time he spent on the sideline.

The human body is a mystery, we can think we know everything about it but when all is said and done, there tend to be more questions than answers when health is concerned.

So this is my worry going into the upcoming season. Alex Cora and his team were safe in 2018 and Sale’s arm still had its issues. So what do the Red Sox do to keep The Condor on the active roster and far away from the DL? I don’t want to overreact and say that they need to put him on a pitch count or inning cap, but I would say being more hands-on may be the correct route.

Say Sale is starting and Boston scores eight runs right out of the gate, well I think in that scenario Cora can pull him early. There’s no need to keep him out there stressing his arm and shoulder if the game seems comfortably in hand. Yeah, he’s gotta get his reps and work in but we also need him to stay as healthy as possible if the Sox want to repeat.

And this scenario works in the opposite way as well, if Sale gets shelled early in the game, pull him. If he doesn’t have it that night then there’s no sense in keeping him out there to add miles on the arm while he tries to rebound. Live to fight another day, dust yourself off and move onto the next start.

Another key component to monitoring the workload a bit more may come from the Sale side of the partnership. He’ll be a free agent come 2020 and will need his arm in the best health as possible in order to garner the biggest payday he can. Whether that check comes from the Red Sox or another team, he’ll want to have himself primed for whoever signs him.

I personally would love for Sale to stay with the Sox as he’s not only become a leader on the field but in the clubhouse during his time in Boston. Do sports always work out how we’d like them to? No. But that’s life and if he did choose to leave I’d thank him for what he did for the organization and wish him the best.

The truck has made its way down to Fort Myers and soon the players will be joining it. For the Red Sox to repeat as World Champions in 2019 they’ll need Chris Sale at his absolute best. He’s the ace and the tone setter for the rotation, they’ll sink and rise as he does. He’s put to bed the rumors that he may not be healthy after 2018, and I hope he’s right. I sure would love to see him raising another trophy on a duck boat come October.