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What the extention of Red Sox pitcher Chris Sale means for the future

By Steve Atkinson

LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 28: Christian Vazquez #7 jumps into the arms of Chris Sale #41 of the Boston Red Sox to celebrate their 5-1 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game Five to win the 2018 World Series at Dodger Stadium on October 28, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 28: Christian Vazquez #7 jumps into the arms of Chris Sale #41 of the Boston Red Sox to celebrate their 5-1 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game Five to win the 2018 World Series at Dodger Stadium on October 28, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images) /
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Red Sox ace Chris Sale signed a 5-year extension, proving that he’s all about winning and worth the $145 million contract he received.

Chris Sale was brought to the Boston Red Sox to give that dominance they were missing with David Price. When Sale arrived in Boston, all he wanted to do was win a championship. Sale’s leadership and dominance helped the Sox win the World Series in 2018 with him recording the last out.

Sale was 12-4 with a 2.11 ERA and a 0.861 WHIP last season. He knows this is the best place to win a championship, and his five-year extension worth $145 million, according to Alex Speier of the Boston Globe, is worth it.

Sale wants to be with the Red Sox for years to come and win more championships. Sale was acquired in 2016 when the Sox traded prospects Yoan Moncada and Michael Kopech to the Chicago White Sox in exchange. The ace pitcher has been an All-Star in both seasons with a 29-12 record and 2.56 ERA. Also, he’s finished in the top 4 in Cy Young award voting.

Sale will earn $15 million this season then the extension will begin in 2020. According to Chris Cotillo of MassLive, Sale’s deal is the fourth largest deal in Red Sox history. Price is first at $217 million, Manny Ramirez with $160 million, and Adrian Gonzalez with $154 million.

The ace missed a lot of the 2018 season due to shoulder problems. However, the Sox remain confident that he’ll be able to overcome that and be a great pitcher for years to come. The Sox were cautious with Sale last season which was different from the previous season. They made sure he was well rested for the playoffs.

With Sale locked up for five more seasons, the rotation looks pretty solid. Until 2022, the Sox rotation is Sale, David Price, Nathan Eovaldi, and Eduardo Rodriguez. All four pitchers were a combined 47-23 last season. Rick Porcello is a free agent at the end of this season. But those four guys make for a great rotation for at least three more seasons after this one.

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Sale’s career at Fenway Park is 12-6 with a 2.83 ERA. Against the New York Yankees, he’s 6-4 with a 1.61 ERA, he’s 7-2 with  a 2.69 ERA against the Baltimore Orioles, 7-3 with an ERA of 2.28 against the Toronto Blue Jays, and 9-5 with an ERA of 2.96 versus the Tampa Bay Rays. That tells me Sale will be dominating the division for another five more years.

Sale  has leadership as people saw during the World Series in the dugout. He also put confidence in  Price that he can pitch well in the postseason and ignore what people say. All Sale cares about is pitching well and winning. He knows there’s no better place to do that than the Red Sox. Especially with Alex Cora as the manager. Cora knows how to manage Sale in a way that’s best for the team as we saw last year. He didn’t overwork Sale like John Farrell did and then lose in the first round.

Bullpen has three spots up for grabs. dark. Next

It’s the perfect price, as they didn’t have to overpay to keep him around. Sale, Price and Eovaldi will be a major role in the rotation which will be great moving forward for the team.

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