Sale happy to stay with Red Sox
FORT MYERS, Fla. — For Chris Sale, the most lucrative contract wasn’t necessarily the one with the most dollars. The left-hander went to Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers and lives in nearby Naples, about a half-hour from the team’s spring training home. With two sons and another baby on the way, the opportunity to stay home an additional two months of the year was important.
But the chance for the perennial Cy Young candidate to stay with a perennial contender was something he couldn’t pass up.
“Especially in this day and age when half the league isn’t trying to win anything, and we have a team that’s trying to win every year? That says a lot,” Sale said. “As players, you can’t not respect it.”
The Red Sox officially announced a five-year extension at a Saturday morning press conference. The deal runs through the 2024 season and is reportedly for $145 million with a vesting option for 2025 based on games started, a no-trade clause that becomes effective in 2020, and an opt-out after the 2022 season.
The deal effectively locks down four of the five Red Sox starting pitchers through the 2022 season, with right-hander Rick Porcello a potential free agent after this season.
“It’s awesome,” said David Price, who is signed through 2022. “That was a part of the reason why I came here. … That was something I had never been a part of in my career before and to be a part of something like that, it’s a feeling to know that you have a chance to win and be surrounded by really good players year in and year out. Not a lot of guys get to experience that.”
It was important for both sides to get the deal done before Opening Day.
“The one thing you try not to do in these situations is be a distraction,” said Dave Dombrowski. “There’s always exceptions, but players want to be focused when the season starts, we want to be focused on winning. So we thought it was important to get it done before the season began.”
Sale was scheduled to start Friday before being a healthy scratch just before game time. Instead, he started Saturday’s Grapefruit League finale against the Pirates.
“I’m a baseball player,” Sale said. “That’s my deal. I don’t really like talking about this stuff. I’m not the biggest fan of the business side of baseball. I missed a start yesterday and had to put (manager Alex Cora) in an awkward situation, put Dana (LeVangie) in an awkward situation. … I wanted that to be done with. I want to get back to playing baseball and pitching. I’ve never really been in a situation where I’ve had to worry about these things.”
Cora, LeVangie and several of Sale’s teammates looked on during the press conference.
“They love it,” Cora said. “They just gave him a standing ovation in the clubhouse. … Not only on the field but off the field, they love everything about Chris.”
Mookie Betts, who can be a free agent after the 2020 season, was among those in attendance. He is one of several key players who can become free agents in the next two seasons. Asked if he thought his deal might inspire his teammates to sign extensions, Sale turned the spotlight.
“Well, Mook,” he said, before turning serious.
“Yeah, I appreciate it. We have a great group, family-like, we trust each other, we want to play with each other. …. We’re trying to build something that is sustainable for years to come.”
Betts said he was happy for Sale but that deal will have no impact on his own situation.
“He’s top of the line, you got to go ahead and lock in somebody like that. When you’re talking money like that, it’s good, especially for a pitcher like that,” Betts said.
“No, just be happy for Sale right now, for him and his family and whatnot. Nothing to do with me.”
Dombrowski said, although there could be exceptions, he would likely shut down contract talks for all players after Opening Day. But, getting Sale’s extension done helps his long-term planning.
“Of course it helps a great deal Dombrowski said. “It’s a challenge, of course. I realize we’re not going to be able to sign everybody, but it’s a great start. … The next three, four years, we have four starting pitchers that are four of the best pitchers in Major League Baseball signed. It’s a great way to start building a club…We’ll tackle it step by step, but it’s not always going to be an easy chore.”
Bullpen set
Alex Cora still has a few decisions to make before Opening Day (rotation order, Steve Pearce’s status, the catchers, who’s going to close, to name a few), but he leaves Fort Myers with his bullpen set.
The relief corps will include Matt Barnes, Ryan Brasier, Colten Brewer, Tyler Thornburg, Hector Velazquez, Heath Hembree, Brian Johnson and Brandon Workman.
Before beating the Pirates, 12-3, in their Grapefruit League finale, the Red Sox optioned left-hander Bobby Poyner and right-hander Marcus Walden to Triple-A Pawtucket and left-hander DarwinzonHernandez to Double-A Portland.
Cora said he was “very” confident with his bullpen.
“Stuff-wise, there’s certain guys that obviously they were working on a few things, but like I’ve been saying all along, we got guys that got stuff, hard throwers, cutters, breaking balls, sinkers. Now, it’s up to me and the coaching staff to identify the matchups and use them,” he said. “People outside our world think that we’re short on pitching, we’re not, and we’re going to be fine.”
Asked who his closer will be, Cora replied:
“March 28. Stay tuned.”
Hernandez will work as a starter for Portland.
Other notes:
Dustin Pedroia went 1-for-3 with a double and a run scored Saturday. He will travel with the team to Arizona and is scheduled to play Tuesday against the Cubs before returning to Fort Myers for extended spring. He will have a rehab assignment, but when and where is uncertain at this time.
Rick Porcello and Eduardo Rodriguez are scheduled to start Monday against the Cubs, followed by David Price on Tuesday.
After the game, infielder Tzu-Wei Lin was optioned to Pawtucket. That leaves the Red Sox with 29 players in major camp, all of whom are on the 40-man roster.
The team is scheduled to leave Fort Myers Sunday morning for Arizona.
