When the Red Sox made a trade to get Chris Sale my thoughts went to we now have a Randy Johnson clone in the rotation. A left-handed Pedro Martinez to anchor the rotation and be the ultimate stopper. Say goodnight to five-game losing streaks. Sale did not disappoint, leading the American League in strikeouts (308) and innings pitched (214.1) and winning 17 games in his first Boston year.
Was it the innings? The mechanics? Sale started to erode in 2018 and then went further down in 2019. Sale now has an enormous contract for the next five years as the Red Sox are obligated to Sale for five-years and $145 Million. This is starting to look like Barry Zito or is it?
The Red Sox of the very distant past made a cash transaction of $125,000 embedded within a trade with the depression cash-strapped Athletic’s for Lefty Grove who was coming off a 24 win season. Grove had already won 195 games for the A’s and was considered the best pitcher in the game – left or right-handed.
Grove was a disaster his first season (8-8, 6.50) and at 34-years-old it appeared his career was over. An aching arm is not a good sign. It seems quite similar to Sale and his 6-11 record of 2019. Maybe Sale will now match Grove? Not that Grove of disappointment, but the one that went on to win four more ERA titles and win 20 games in his rebound season.
Wins are an important measurement tool in defining a pitcher as HOF material. That said, the preponderance of metrics now gives a far more insightful glance into performance but wins for a starter are still a significant factor. For HOF consideration Sale needs to be productive for the next five seasons with at least 75 wins. I am not optimistic about his chances.