Chris Sale’s name has long been one that the most optimistic of fans will bandy about in trade scenarios involving various combinations of top prospects, but if the left-hander had things his way, he’d never wear a uniform other than his current White Sox jersey, he tells Evan Drellich of the Boston Herald. Moreover, Sale says he can’t envision the team’s front office dealing him. “I plan on being here forever,” said Sale of the ChiSox. “I don’t think they would trade me. … I mean, at the end of the day, it’s a business. I understand you got to do what you got to do, what’s best for the team and what not. I have a hard time believing that I would be traded and I really don’t want to (be).” Sale is earning $9.15MM this season and is one on of the game’s more appealing contracts, as the Sox owe him a total of $38MM from 2017-19 (with the latter two seasons being club options).
More from the AL Central…
- Yesterday’s surgery to repair the torn labrum in Glen Perkins’ shoulder revealed that the left-hander’s labrum had completely separated from the bone and needed to be reattached, as La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. Had there been no detachment, Perkins’ recovery could have been completed in a “few months,” but cases such as this one often require an eight-month timeline, per Neal. Perkins told Neal in a text message only that, “It’s going to be awhile.” Even an eight-month timeline could have the Twins’ closer healthy in time for the early portion of Spring Training next season.
- Also from Neal’s piece, the Twins could option struggling DH/first baseman Byung Ho Park to Triple-A Rochester when Miguel Sano is activated from the disabled list. While this is an arbitrary endpoint, Park was hitting a very strong .257/.339/.578 as recently as May 17, but over his past 27 games/109 plate appearances, he’s struggled to a .135/.220/.260 batting line with 35 strikeouts. “I think how he was able to start originally maybe raised a lot of people’s expectations on how fast his transition was going to be,” said manager Paul Molitor. “It’s just been more where we’re kind of back to how we thought it might be.” Molitor said he hasn’t changed his opinion on Park’s long-term value to the club whatsoever, firmly believing that the investment will prove to be a valid one in the end even with Park’s recent struggles.
- The Indians’ acquisition of Chris Gimenez was hardly a heralded move but had a significant impact on the club, writes Ryan Lewis of the Akron Beacon Journal, as Gimenez has been extremely beneficial to surging right-hander Trevor Bauer. As Lewis writes, Bauer has a wide variety of pitches/grips which he employs (as many as seven), and Gimenez is familiar with expansive sets like that from his work with Yu Darvish in Texas. Gimenez explains to Lewis how he’s helped Bauer to tone down the number of offerings he utilizes, encouraging him to focus on the pitches that best complement each other. Manager Terry Francona says that Bauer is pitching in a more “conventional” manner of late and stresses that he means that as a compliment. Bauer’s results have been brilliant; over his past 10 starts (each caught by Gimenez), Bauer has posted a 2.74 ERA with a 61-to-20 K/BB ratio in 69 innings of work.
- Indians outfielder Abraham Almonte has begun a rehab assignment at the Triple-A level as he nears the July 3 date on which he can be reinstated from his 80-game suspension for a failed PED test, writes Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Cleveland is woefully thin in terms of outfield depth right now thanks to suspensions for Almonte and Marlon Byrd as well as Michael Brantley’s questionable health status, and the return of Almonte could provide some needed depth.
I hope for Sale’s sake he’s never traded then, because he sounds like he’d be pretty wrecked by it.
Sale is very smart and will not be with the Sox his whole career. Mark me down for that. I said it 6/24/16.
I agree with Marlins. I do not see him with the White Sox on his next contract.
in today’s game you don’t have to call that a player won’t stay with one team. pretty much everyone switches teams at least once now.
Appreciate the breakdown on Perkin’s injury. Jesus that is bad.
Makes it all the more absurd that the first two “specialists” completely failed to identify the issue as anything beyond “fatigue”.
It always feels like for the Twins, a guy goes on the DL for a stubbed toe and it turns out he has to have his entire spinal cord reconstructed from scratch.
I know with shoulder stuff it’s hard to identify what the problem is through scans until you actually cut a guy open and look, but that they’ve spent close to a year telling him to put a hot pad on his shoulder and take a nap when it was this seriously damaged… it’s just plain annoying.
Yes, feel bad for him, that’s gonna be hard to come back from.
I love Sale, but to get better we must get younger and get a few good prospects and the only way to do it might be to part with our ace. I mean look at the Cubs, they’ve got position player’s sprouting up all over the diamond. A trade proposal of Glasnow, Meadows, J.Bell, and Tallion out of the Pittsburgh system, all of whom are close to big league ready would be a very interesting package. You plug Glasnow in the rotation, Meadows takes over in center, J.Bell can’t be any worse than Cabrera in left, and Tallion becomes your fifth starter in the rotation right behind Quintana, Glasnow, Rodon, and Fulmer. Hold on to your vets, Frazier, Abreu, Eaton, maybe Lawrie, and go with youth which is the smart route instead of paying these free agents who’s best years are already behind them.
I would assume if the Pirates would deal those four prospects in one deal they could get anybody short of Mike Trout. But Pittsburgh is a small-market team that will need to either spend serious money soon on Cutch, Marte and Polanco or lose them and replace them from within the system. I don’t see them trading their four best prospects, especially this season since Pittsburgh isn’t probably making the postseason.
As a Pirates fan and a fan of Chris Sale, No way would the Pirates even consider that deal, nor should they
Pirates would never do that.
Mmmmm….for one of the best pitchers in baseball on a long term, sweetheart contract? Yeah, they probably would.
Lel
I’m a fan of neither team and I think the Pirates package looks a little too big. But if switched taillon with kuhl and meadows or bell with Hayes then u might have a better deal
There isn’t a too big when it comes to Sale. With his ability, track record, and contract, he is EASILY the most valuable commodity in the sport. If anything, the package is light.
Too big too light, it doesn’t matter. The small market Pirates will not, nor should they, give up that much talent for a pitcher. Is Chris Sale amazing and worth it, especially on that contract? You bet. But if the Pirates want to have sustained success they can’t and won’t blow up the farm like that.
in spring training sale said- i have never pitched a meaningful game in my life. sale is desperate to win a championship. he wants to did it here but he wouldnt have regret if its somewhere else. he has had some brains farts and i hope he stays but i feel he is getting frustrated with jerry and the brass.
That’s what they all say… I think Sale gets traded eventually, I don’t see the Sox signing him to a mega extension.
Sale sure would be a fantastic fit to the top of the Cardinals rotation!!! Unfortunately, our fan favorite, Adam Wainwright, is a good # 3 at this point in his career. And what an asset Wainwright would be to Sale and his career. Just as Carpenter was in Wainwright’s career.