Red Sox Ace, Chris Sale will be a free agent at the end of the 2019 season. At Fort Myers, the Spring home of the defending World Series champion Red Sox, Sale opened up about his future beyond the 2019 season.
The seven-time all star will be 31 next season, entering free agency for the first time in his career. He is making $15,000,000 this season, in what has become a 7yr/60M deal when factoring club options and incentives.
This will be a new experience for the lanky lefty. He makes no bones about his intentions; saying he would love to stay in Boston. He loves the city, the fans, the intensity, and the winning tradition and attitude.
He also spoke frankly about (former) Sox closer, Craig Kimbrel, saying he was surprised Kimbrel wasn’t signed yet…by the Sox, or other team. He did add that he has faith in any of the Sox current relievers to get the job done in the ninth inning.
So he’s expressed his love for the Sox and his willingness to stay in Boston. The question now is, does GM Dave Dombrowski feel the same love for Sale. I suppose it will come down to the fine print. Of course the Sox would want him, but at what price.
Sale is no dummy, he sees the new landscape of baseball for free agents, he must know that being on the wrong side of 30 years old is no place to be for someone looking for a contract, especially some who has a track record of fading in the second half of the year.
I can’t imagine the Sox offering anything more than a 3-year deal. A perfect comp for Sale is another lefty ace, who pitches on the West Coast; Clayton Kershaw. This off-season the 31-year-old three time Cy Young winner re-signed with the Dodgers. It was a 3yr/93M deal. As great as Sale is, he’s never won a Cy Young, and I doubt he’ll even see “Kershaw money”.
One thing is certain, with Rick Porcello also becoming a free agent at the end of the year, the Sox are going to have to make some pretty hard choices in the off-season. Sale is by far a better pitcher than Nathan Eovaldi, and he’ll be making 51M from 2020-2022.
It can also be argued that Sale’s a better pitcher than David Price, and Price will be making 96M over that time. I can’t imagine Sale accepting anything less than a 3yr/$75,000,000 deal, and I can’t imagine the Red Sox willing to go that high. Much will depend on how Sale performs this season.
Only time will tell.
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