Red Sox Put In Financial Bind By Chris Sale's Latest Contract Decision
The Boston Red Sox are backing up the brinks truck for a pitcher that has made just 11 starts in the last three seasons thanks to an ill-advised player option made by the previous front office leadership.
Chris Sale is opting into a two-year, $55 million player option, Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom told The Boston Globe's Alex Speier.
The decision comes as no surprise, as he basically had the choice of making top dollar or going out and fetching mid-level money in free agency.
While the Red Sox would have been able to better allocate those funds elsewhere to improve the team, having a player of Sale's caliber on the roster is not exactly a problem.
Yes, he's gotten injured in so many unique ways over the last two years that it seems impossible for Sale to maneuver through everyday life healthy never mind a full 162-game Major League Baseball season, but there's no logical reason why Sale won't be a positive contributor moving forward.
None of his injuries post-Tommy John surgery have high risks of re-injury, and last we saw Sale he still had his elite stuff.
In his 11 starts over the last two seasons, Sale went 5-2 with a 3.17 ERA and a 57-to-13 strikeout-to-walk ratio across 48 1/3 innings. That was a rusty version of Sale, with nagging injuries along the way.
People have been saying it for years, but if Sale can get healthy, he'll be a huge piece of this team.
The only true way Sale's contract kills the team is if Bloom and company operate as if he'll be a member of the rotation next season. He should be a mere afterthought when assembling the roster. That way, Boston could receive a surprise ace if he does return to form, but won't have to reassemble the rotation if he does get hurt again.
While the contract is less than ideal, having Sale under team control provides the 2023 roster with immense upside.
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