Red Sox left-hander Chris Sale will undergo Tommy John surgery, as per a team announcement. Sale will be out of action for roughly the next 12-15 months, as per the usual recovery timeline, and will miss all of the 2020 season.
The news less than three weeks after Sale was diagnosed with a flexor strain, following some elbow soreness in his throwing elbow. Sale only resumed throwing yesterday, though it’s fair to assume that he experienced further discomfort that resulted in today’s decision.
The Red Sox press release didn’t include any actual date for Sale’s surgery, and Joel Sherman of the New York Post speculated that it could perhaps be some time before Sale actually goes under the knife, given how elective medical procedures are increasingly being canceled (both in the United States and all around the world) in order to give hospitals and doctors more time to focus on the coronavirus pandemic. It’s also worth wondering if the uncertainty surrounding how much (or any) of the 2020 season will be played could have contributed to Sale’s decision, as he perhaps figured that missing time now was preferable to missing time when games were firmly on the schedule. Regardless, Sale will now miss whatever exists of the 2020 campaign and also likely at least two or three months of the 2021 season.
Due to his relatively thin stature and his unique throwing motion, durability questions dogged Sale as far back as his days as a vaunted prospect coming out of Florida Gulf Coast University, to the point that he dropped to the White Sox with the 13th pick of the 2010 draft. Sale proved those criticisms wrong after almost a full decade as one of the game’s best starters, with a career 3.03 ERA, 11.1 K/9, and the best career K/BB rate (5.37) in baseball history, while also averaging 205 innings per season between 2012-17.
The Red Sox acquired Sale in a December 2016 blockbuster trade that saw budding superstar Yoan Moncada go to Chicago, though the hefty price tag was worth it from Boston’s perspective, given Sale’s strong results for the club and his role in helping the Red Sox win the 2018 World Series. That said, Sale seemed to wear down at the end of the 2017 season and was bothered by shoulder problems late in the 2018 campaign, which led the Sox to limit his innings down the stretch and during their postseason run.
Those injury concerns didn’t stop Boston from signing Sale to a five-year, $145MM extension almost exactly one year ago. That deal covered the 2020-24 seasons, meaning the Red Sox won’t see any return on that investment for at least the next 15 months. Warning signs already began to crop up last season, as Sale got off to a slow start and only somewhat looked like himself (a career-high 4.40 ERA, though advanced metrics painted a much more favorable picture of his 2019 performance) over 147 1/3 innings before being shut down in mid-August due to elbow inflammation. Treatment for that inflammation included a platelet-rich plasma injection in Sale’s elbow, and he was seemingly making good progress in his offseason workouts before a bout of pneumonia set him back a couple of weeks.
Given that so much of Boston’s offseason revolved around getting under the luxury tax threshold, the Sale extension now looms as a seriously questionable decision. If Sale hadn’t been extended and his $25.6MM average annual value wasn’t on the team’s books, the Red Sox wouldn’t have faced nearly the (self-imposed) crunch to reset their tax bill after two years of overages. This could have meant the Sox may have explored other, lower-level methods of getting under the $208MM threshold rather than the extreme measure of trading Mookie Betts and David Price to the Dodgers.
With Sale now out of the picture entirely for 2020, Eduardo Rodriguez is now the ace of the Red Sox rotation following the lefty’s big 2019 performance. E-Rod leaves a staff that is severely lacking in sure things, as Nathan Eovaldi, Martin Perez, and Collin McHugh are all looking to rebound from either injury or inconsistency last season (McHugh could even still wind up in the bullpen). A long list of names were competing for the final two rotation jobs before Spring Training was halted, and manager Ron Roenicke hinted that the Sox would use an opener/bulk pitcher strategy for at least one of the two slots.
I’ll come back in fifteen for all the “I told you so!” comments…
its not exactly surprising…
Came to the forum late but wanted to put my two cents in.
I’m here for the gang b*ng too
ha! me too…where’s the bowl to put all our car keys in? Let’s get this show on the road already!
And I’ll accept apologies from those who insulted me for suggesting he would need TJ!
No kidding! I also was one who got criticized for warning many goat’s here about sale blowing out his elbow and Boston was well aware of it but fed everyone bologna that it was minor. ScotCFA it is because the people here get jealous cuz you know more than them and in my case I have an inside connection to information and they hate cuz I know people that they don’t that are in the show.
Yikes
LOL. Possibly up there as the most ridiculous comment in the arrogant subcategory. Do you really think he would have been seen by the best sports doctors everywhere and ignored their advise? Just by seeing them, surgery is an option. They are always asked to rule in or out surgery. There must have been either something they saw or couldn’t see on films or react to during the clinical exams that gave even a little hope. Alternatively, they could have previously suggested surgery but Sale was insisting one more rehab. Regardless, most baseball fans understood surgery was a strong
possibility. Thus, when you pay yourself on a the back use feathers.
bwahaha have you ever been on this site?!…no one apologizes for crap or admits they were wrong!…Welcome! lol
Baseball is back its back in July is the latest, so keep the faith. Purchase Strat O Matic for a good baseball board that utilizes the real stats and players on each team.
Let me know how it goes?
Strato-O-Matic was the best. I think I still have my cards from the 80 season.
She said it better –
https://youtu.be/YMWpx55f8CY
Least surprising news. He’s needed that for a while
Just think if he would have had it when he needed to how little game action he may actually have lost.
Thank you and good night!
Miles Mikolas is next
So is Griffin Canning
If you trust the Angels medical staff, and at this point there is absolutely no reason to, Canning doesn’t have a tear in his ligament.
So, yeah, he’s probably next.
And Tommy Pham.
probably Yoenis Cespedes too
Didn’t he just start a throwing program roughly 20 minutes ago
Throwing program is code for,”last ditch effort until the inevitable.”
No, that would be PRP!
No, he had the PRP, now he’s on a throwing program. Next stop, TJ.
Hope they have insurance…..
They usually do on the big contracts!!??
I wonder if insurance means anything in a time like this.
Sure the guy has insurance.. He’s got obamacare and his rates tripled..
what does that even mean?
Good one JohnSilver!
John Silver – lol. Love your posts
nah, it’s insured with trumpcare.
so it turns out it won’t cover the surgery or pay the red sox back (turns out trumpcare is just thoughts and prayers, so like his base, it’s worthless)
If only everyone actually understood the reason Obamacare had such high rates. Its got a lot to do with a greedy pharmaceutical company and insurance companies having to pick up 1000% price increases on medications for people with terminal illnesses that they had to take in order to survive. Not really something that is funny, you can find out all about it on dirty money.
It means that insurance doesn’t have a heater that touches 97 and the best slider in the game.
it doesn’t matter from a competitive standpoint because they won’t exceed the luxury tax even if they do get something like $20 million from insurance
While the Sale contract is probably insured for up to 75% of its value, that has no impact on the CBT threshold. So his full $30M still counts against the threshold even if insured. All it does is put more money back into the owner’s pocket.
Nope. only 25m and change counts against CBA due to a bunch of the money being deferred.
@jorge78
I’m sure they do. They would be idiots not to insure any big contract (especially for a starting pitcher).
Ffffffffffffffffffffffffffuuuuuuuuuuuuu[dge]
Dombrowski. The gift that keeps on giving…..
Geez, no Brady, Mookie, Sale, Price (thank goodness) in Beantown this year. Celtics/Bruins stars – watch out!
Thing about Dumbo, it’s his DNA to come in and trade for established names while gutting the farm. J Henry got what he paid for. I think Bloom is more of a visionary. Thank God.
You definitely know what you’re getting with him, an all out effort to win now. Boston won it all and things were great. The hangover from DD is always rough, though.
Most of you Sox fans were doing cartwheels when you got Sale and now he’s going under the knife “It’s Dumbo’s fault” Typical fair weather fans response.
Not really, most were happy for the trade but the extension was poorly timed with so many red flags already waving. I felt the extension was a bad idea immediately. I just sorry I’m right.
Is that why you gather shopping carts in the Costco parking lot instead of being on the Red Sox Medical staff
hmm, didnt they just win a World Series under his watch?
the horror
Yes but that doesn’t count, because he traded *checks notes* Manuel Margot.
He sold the Red Sox soul for a World Series title… but most teams would do that in an instant.
Teams that have NEVER won a World Series. Texas Rangers, San Diego Padres, Colorado Rockies, Tampa Rays, Milwaukee Brewers, Seattle Mariners (only team to never even have been to a World Series)
So yes I will appreciate the Red Sox 9th World Series win even if it means a reload before the next one.
When do you think they’ll release the investigation findings?
That’s 2 teams saying that now
In DD we trusted. Sorry.
Not completely defending DD, just want to point out what everyone seems to forget regarding the farm under his watch. His first draft was lacking a 1st and 2nd round pick thanks to Henry (who I blame because Cherrington was just his puppet) signing lazy Hanley and fat panda
DD pushed to resign Sale, and that is what pushed him out the door, thankfully. Bloom is looking for more sustainability and younger more controllable players.
Yeah, I’m not a Sox fan, but I thought it was a good trade, because they won a WS. The extension was an awful decision though because the warning signs were already there.
Why put the article up when it is only 3 paragraphs long? this should be a tweet, not an article, put it up when it’s finished, not when it hasn’t even started!
Tough crowd
the population of commenters on this site consists mostly of sharks.
Because on the internet, you don’t have to print out the papers and ship them out. You can just hit the edit button. Amazing, huh?
is that really a good enough reason to “print an empty sheet”?
Ever heard the expression less is more?
In the world of sports reporting, if you’re not first you’re last. I appreciate MLBTR for posting the article as an alert, and then filling in the details so I can check back later.
the official website already tweeted about it first, so, it’s not like they were breaking news here.
Hey saavedra – Shuddup already! Start your own website if you think you’re so smart. I bet nobody will come.
Yeah but some of us don’t use it. Can’t blame us when most of the page is the new decade challenge or the latest “here’s why Vlad Jr is better than Barry Bonds” 25-part series
This is the first place I come to for baseball news. I’m not a Sox fan but I want to know when this happens and, believe it or not, there are tons of us who don’t do Twitter. There are even more that expect MLBTR to post something as it breaks and then give more information as it comes.
If you don’t like it – leave. 99.999% of us thank them for how they do this.
Why are you continuing to whine about an alert on a site called MLB Trade Rumors? Just read the tweets from MLB and stay away. Easy. Your problem and ours is solved.
yeah because there’s so much baseball news, hell sports news in general to get out there right now that they couldn’t possibly have the room for this to be an article… lol… Also it’s probably the biggest sports story (or one of 2/3) of the day so I feel like it deserves to be an “article” even if there’s only so much that can be said about a star player undergoing surgery
Some people find something to complain about. I guess these writers just aren’t doing enough for this free fan site. People who want perfect spelling, grammar and word counts, buy a subscription to The Athletic.
I don’t understand the complaint. I mean are you looking for an additional 5 paragraphs, with a comprehensive breakdown of the surgical procedure? He’s hurt, he’s having surgery, and given world events, it’s tough to pin down a timetable. That’s the info there is, and what they gave us. Seems complete to me.
When they said pneumonia they really meant tj…. teams are pathological liars
they said Aaron Nola had the flu the other day and it was just reported he didnt even have a fever. it was just a stomach bug. accuracy levels though the roof.
Too bad they didn’t add the John Lackey clause. That was a beautiful idea. If you have TJ at any point during contract you play the following year at $500k
What pitcher in their right mind would agree to that clause?
You do know pitchers can refuse to sign a contract right?
If a team were to seriously offer every pitcher a contract like they’d turn away a lot of would be free agents.
You should look at the John Lackey contract that he did SIGN with the Red Sox. It had similar language
yeah, and then players realized it was a horrible idea and stopped doing it
Exactly. Lackey signed it. It isn’t for everybody but the Sox were offering him a ton of money and wanted to limit their risk. Lackey bet on himself staying healthy and still cleared millions from the deal.
No surgery is routine, but much better to be TJ than a shoulder. Sale is an absolute stud and should be back strong barring complications.
So he will just miss a few months next year
Until the All Star Break, most likely. IF he can get the surgery quickly
Wonder if virus caused him to abandon all other options. Smart move and not surprising.
Let me just address the elephant in the room here since we all knew it. Sale has been injured for two years now!
Hey Bloom who is going to pitch for this team this year since you traded away Price ? You have two starting pitchers in EROD and Eovaldi who has an injury history!!
Great Job!!
This guy Bloom is from a second rate team market and this is Boston a major market!
So far he has picked up other teams throwaways and garbage, traded away a front line starting pitcher
(Price) and an Allstar Player (Betts) for prospects!!!
Great Job from the Tampa Bay Red Sox General Manager!
None of this is Blooms fault – he’s just cleaning up Daves mess. I actually like the moves he is making – at least give the guy a chance
So you trash the year and trade your top player for prospects and a top starting pitcher when you basically know Sale was injured and needed the surgery. Are they giving fans a break on the concessions and tickets for an inferior product they are putting on the field?
The price break will be on the tickets which is called a refund for all the many games that will not be played. Maybe the whole 2020 season will be canceled, so AL34 won’t have anything to complain about, which are the only kind you post…….
At least Citizen AL34 is a consistent whiner.
AL34-Seattle Mariners fans would love to have your problems! I get your pitching staff is a huge question mark but I’d love to have that lineup in the NW! Pfft! I’d love to have your rotation too! Ok, maybe not haha
Dave Dumbrowski
Look at how competitive that “second rate team market” has been the last decade. For what it’s worth (not much, I know), I give credit to those teams (GM’s) that do more with less.
Riggght. Because TB has won so many WS titles.
The TB model doesn’t work without the comp balance picks boosting the farm further. Granted, you still have to draft well, but, all those bonus high draft choices really help
TB has done a lot with so little stop hating on them
Imagine thinking the Rays have been good because of competitive balance picks. LOL. Name the last player the rays selected in the comp balance rounds to play in the majors, I’ll wait. The only good player the Rays have selected has been Brent Honeywell, who has yet to produce as a result of injuries.
Any benefit from the competitive balance picks is completely outweighed by the ability of teams like the Red Sox to go out and drop $$$ on FAs. Give me a break and just give credit to the Rays where credit is due.
Makes sense, there won’t be a season.
Might as well.
Some scientist in France thinks he found a cure using some malaria drug to fight the Corona virus but could take couple months before the FDA gets its act together and tests it.
funny, have you looked at the news today?
I’d say July will be the start of the season all teams playing approx. 100 games
Trump says FDA will fast-track treatments for novel coronavirus, but there are still months of research ahead- cnn headline.
They’re gonna take months to run through as many different possibilities as they can. Who knows when they’ll get around to using the malaria drug.
Furthermore it’s gonna take time to get people together to test the drugs,multiple drugs. If the federal government has proven one thing over the years regardless of administration it’s that government run agencies take time to do what they’re suppose to.
Still don’t think there will be any season in 2020
Well there goes the neighborhood. Time for a full rebuild in Boston. Trade Eovaldi, JD Martinez, JBJ (or non-tender him) and even consider trading Xander too. They have no ace pitching talent in the minors so they need to tear this down and start over. Devastating news for the Red Sox.
Yes and crappy news for Sale. Hard to see him lose a year-plus out of what should be a HOF career. Of course this year (or at least a sizable part of it) may be a loss for all players…
Had they just done this before all the PRP, extensive shut downs, etc, he would’ve already had TJ and already returned. All that time didn’t do much to help his HOF chances anyways compared to having been already back to full health by the time this abbreviated season kicks off.
Sale HOF? not even close…and now farther away
They probably had chances to trade Bradley for a decent reliever and failed.
White Sox sure will be enjoying Yoan Moncada, Michael Kopech and Luis Alexander Basabe in the meantime…
Although Sox fans liking the end of the Sale trade, it’s sad to see Sale go down to TJ surgery.
Many experts expected this some day based on analyses of his delivery.
Better this year than next. There may not be a season in 2020.
In the meantime, the Redsox can polish their shiny hunk of metal.
Which Mets fans would pay any price to have.
They have 2
Hunk of metal called a World Series trophy
Name this guy commish. At least he knows that piece of metal has a name!
Unless the BoSox have to give it back for cheating.
Houston didn’t.
Good trade for both teams. Red Sox got a World Series win, and White Sox become competitive in a division that they can win (I hope they can overtake the Twins!).
That’s too bad. Though it’s not surprising it came to this, I was hoping by some luck (wishful thinking) he really was going to avoid going under the knife. Obviously his career isn’t over by any means, but I’m glad he was able to get a ring and be a major reason why Boston won it in ’18. In fact, I don’t think they win it without him.
I absolutely loved watching him pitch on the South Side all those years, and even though the Sox got a nice return in Yoan and Kopech, I still hated to see him get traded.
With what’s going on in MLB, it might be a very smart move to just get it over with. It probably means Boston punts on the season (though you never know, guys might step up and they make the playoffs again).
Then again, depending on how long (and more importantly, severe) COVID-19 lingers, who knows if the season gets flushed down the toilet or gets taken seriously if it’s only an 60 to 80 game season (no idea what the cutoff is for the season to be salvaged).
To be honest I’d rather see 100 regular season games than see 60 regular season plus a post season based on… 60 games???
There’s a point where you say the season was too short to justify a postseason.
with a shortened season starting late, maybe they should just play an old-time NL champ vs. AL champ World Series. determine league champs based on best records…
Assuming all gets right with the world by June, which isn’t a given, 100 games plus a postseason should be doable. You’d likely have to do a neutral site World Series somewhere warm, but that’s not the worst thing.
Welp. I guess this wasn’t a bad season to miss at least.
Can’t believe that the current situation did not have an effect. They got two opinions on his MRI so there had to be more there than a “flexor strain.” But 3 weeks ago he was ready to rehab it and now is getting surgery.
Seasons gonna be a delayed start. At the latest till July. Meaning it’s gonna be a shortened season July August September October November. I don’t see them pushing into December January February which could be shortened season with playoffs in November. So why not get tjs over with and be ready for a full season during 2021
Won’t be ready for a full season during ’21. Probably ASG break. About a month after Severino.
Are we looking at a 2022 opening date for MLB baseball?
@CaptainHooks
I’m not a doctor, but I’m guessing the virus is under control well before both the ’20 and ’21 seasons get cancelled.
Est. is eight months for the curve to level off and things will start coming back to normal.
Did u sleep at a Holiday Inn last night?
Not a doctor and no crystal ball……your is no better than anyone else’s guess
July 2020 more than likely, they’ll play approx. 100 games. If the season is cancelled the players and fans will be big losers
Sox look a little smarter for trading Betts. This was not going to be their year, and I won’t be the least but surprised if they re-sign him long term after re-setting the tax.
Honest question per Sale: Don’t MRIs reveal the condition of UCL? Why did it take him throwing to upgrade diagnosis from “flexor strain” to “torn ligament”? Are these remotely the same thing?
They knew about this a long time ago and lied about the pneumonia illness.
Yes, they should have been truthful from the being and sent him for TJ in January.
As a RS fan he needed this a while ago glad he’s getting it done
I don’t think the Sox win the 2018 World Series without Sale. That said, he was not anywhere near 100% during the postseason that year and I was a bit mystified at the mega extension last spring when he hadn’t even proven that he had regained full health. I think the Sox thought they were in a position to get a bargain with a 5 year extension.
How many 9 figure salary signings/extensions actually work out for the signing teams? 20%?
That would be a good article in my opinion.
It would be a good article but as of now I think the perception is way off for pitchers-
Nobody gives props to a Degroom signing, they shake it off as market value….I mean its almost as if the grading system is a C or an F …dont know if thats quite fair
I’m sure Sale will be able to get TJ surgery whenever he’s ready to. I don’t think Dr. Andrews has reallocated his practice or medical space to COVID-19 work. Plus TJ surgery only takes 1-2 hours to complete and is now a day surgery so they will fit him in when he’s ready. Biggest decision is whether or not to use his own ligament or a cadaver ligament.
I’m actually very interested to see when the surgery happens. The hospital I work at had mandated no elective procedures so it goes above the surgeon and his medical space, ect. I wonder if they’ll be able to get around it given how high profile the case is and the amount of money in sales contract but I’m less convinced. Hospitals are genuinely concerned about allocating resources including not using supplies for airway protection (such as intubation supplies/machines) for elective procedures in addition to nursing staff and hospital beds. The other thing to keep in mind is sale is not that far out from pneumonia and covid causes breathing problems/viral pneumonia so they might not want him in the hospital right now where exposure risk is high.
I am so happy for Sale. I do hope it works n gives him the career he wants. This plsyer was severely under paid for yrs but not once did you ever hear him complain or demand a new contract. So to the haters, Chris deserves his money no matter how much time he loses. Lol, with the virus may not end up being too long. To AL….give Bloom. Break. He did the best he could with the Mookuu I e situation. Price will never pitch well for the RS, n just have arguments either Eck on plains n play video games when he should be tuning his skills.
You think the guy’s happy he’s having TJ? Also, Boston traded Price, so you’re right, he won’t pitch well for them.
It actually makes the Betts drama more palatable. Without Sale, they were going to be behind the eight-ball anyway; NY/TB just have too many toys. Not saying it’s impossible…..the core is still strong. But the competition is too intense.
The Rays ahead of the Yanks this year for the Div winner if there is a season
If the Yanks have everyone (except Sevy) back and healthy then I don’t think the Rays have a chance of anything but a WC. Stranger things have happened but I don’t think it’s likely.
If they didnt resign Sale a year in advance they wouldn’t pay nearly $30M to a pitcher sitting out another 18 months and could have pushed for Betts. A clearly bad contract.
Called it
He would have at least a month into rehab if he got it then
Yeah, real shame he didn’t listen to the expert analysis of lowtalker1.
really though, its not surprising. 95% of pitchers that have the same progression in their injury woes (troubling diagnosis followed by treatment to avoid TJ) usually end up needing TJ.
Lowtalker you did not call it
Better call would have been to not resign him and spend the $30 million on someone younger and healthier (that was my call).
The fact that he is getting Tommy John surgery proves the Red Sox have not been truthful about Sale’s injury status. Flexor tendons are not the same as the UCL. While two of the major flexor tendons anchor near the UCL, there are separate surgical procedures for flexor tendon tears and damage. So it sounds like the real issue is with his UCL after all and not his flexor tendons. I don’t understand why they feel like they need to mislead everyone when it comes to player injuries. For such a successful franchise, this ownership group couldn’t be more unlikable and untrustworthy if they tried.
Pirates owner/Former Marlins owner/Mets owners: Hold my beer
How do you arrive at the above conclusion when both TOP TJS Dr’s stated publicly that Chris Sale did NOT need TJ surgery?
If what you’re saying is that everything you read from the RSox is a pack of lies then why are any of us even wasting our time reading this sh-t?
I as well can’t comprehend this news on Sale.
And I as well can’t understand why they would hide it?
I think what you’re saying is that the RSox were deceiving the ticket buyers into having a reason to buy tickets vs. not buy them?
That would be fraud.
Wouldn’t the Attorney General of MA investigate this?
While I studied the TJ procedure in college, I am not a doctor but I do know this: they do not perform TJ surgery unless the UCL is torn, and it usually has to be a substantial tear or have other severe damage. The flexor tendons are not replaced in TJS, only the UCL. So there was clearly damage to his UCL all along which may have caused flexor tendon discomfort as one of the flexor tendons overlaps the UCL. But again, no TJS surgery without a UCL tear. I didn’t think about the premise of selling tickets and deceiving fans, but you bring up a good point! I was thinking more along the lines of deceiving the competition over the extent of his true injury (and therefore the fans too).
Thank you for that information.
It begs the question how both Dr Andrews and Dr Elattrache, the two top experts in the US, BOTH saw Chris Sale and BOTH said HE DID NOT NEED TJ SURGERY.
Did they NOT say that?
Were the Red Sox were lying that they said that?
Why would Chris Sale lie?
Obviously the patient gets the information.
Did the Red Sox make Sale lie?
So it has to be:
1-Someone was lying.
2-Both doctor’s were wrong.
3-He injured it after the diagnosis (Both Dr’s cleared him to throw again)
Why would 2 top experts both come to the same conclusion?
This whole situation makes zero sense to me.
Except for the fact that this report was before the season delay due to the virus and tickets were being sold.
If what you’re saying is correct and we’re it not for the virus crisis the MA AG would be all over this story. This could yet be a major sports scandal.
It even opens the door to why Sale got a huge contract in 2019. We knew he had a bad arm at the ends of both 2017 and 2018.
And Dombrowski was fired the end of 2019.
What does that add up to you?
It adds up to questionable reporting by the media.
Well, looks like the White Sox won that trade. The Saux just extended him too.
possibly , If and when the w.s. win a another title with Yoan/ koepech leading way I would agree but until then 2018 says no……
I disagree. If Moncada and Kopech turn out to be stars, the Sox win the trade. Their team-friendly contracts make it slam dunk, especially if Yoan and Kopech get MVP/Cy Young votes, respectively.
No I get that, but as a fan i want my team to win championships. Having players to cheer for is great but let me ask you what brought you MORE joy .the BIG HURTS career or the o5 team? Team gave up hanley ramirez and got Josh beckett who helped win a title(mike lowell to) Hanley had a very good stint but i’d do it again and again………
The Red Sox won a World Series with Sale so no they aren’t going to lose the trade regardless. There is a strong possibility this will be a win win trade.
They’ve already lost the trade, gave up way too much. That’s one of the reasons why Dom is gone
No they haven’t like I said definition of a win win trade.
Think the Cubs would rather have Gleyber or the title? I’m guessing title.
White Sox fans desperation to declare a win says all that needs to be known about trade. Red Sox got Sale at a great price and won a ring. The extension was dumb but doesn’t factor in trade. Moncada took a few years to deliver but finally is. Kopech still hasn’t delivered. Looks like a win win trade really, but again White Sox fans try hard to win something.
According to Cot’s Contracts there have been 90 MLB contracts that have been for 100 million or more. Of those contracts 15 have been signed since the end of the 2018 season (too soon to tell). And of the remaining 75 contracts with perhaps a strong enough sample size to grade, only 17 of those contracts grade at C+ or better IMO. That’s roughly a 24% success rate.
1. Mike Trout, $426,500,000 (2019-30)
2. Bryce Harper, $330,000,000 (2019-31)
3. Giancarlo Stanton, $325,000,000 (2015-27)
4. Gerrit Cole, $324,000,000 (2020-28)
5. Manny Machado, $300,000,000 (2019-28)
6. Alex Rodriguez, $275,000,000 (2008-17)
7. Nolan Arenado, $260,000,000 (2019-26)
8. Alex Rodriguez, $252,000,000 (2001-10)
9. Miguel Cabrera, $248,000,000 (2016-23)
10. Stephen Strasburg, $245,000,000 (2020-26)
… Anthony Rendon, $245,000,000 (2020-26)
12. Albert Pujols, $240,000,000 (2012-21)
… Robinson Cano, $240,000,000 (2014-23)
14. Joey Votto, $225,000,000 (2014-23)
15. David Price, $217,000,000 (2016-22)
16. Clayton Kershaw, $215,000,000 (2014-20)
… Christian Yelich, $215,000,000 (2020-28)
18. Prince Fielder, $214,000,000 (2012-20)
19. Max Scherzer, $210,000,000 (2015-21)
20. Zack Greinke, $206,500,000 (2016-21)
21. Derek Jeter, $189,000,000 (2001-10)
22. Joe Mauer, $184,000,000 (2011-18)
. . . Jason Heyward, $184,000,000 (2016-23)
24. Mark Teixeira, $180,000,000 (2009-16)
. . . Justin Verlander, $180,000,000 (2013-19)
26. Felix Hernandez, $175,000,000 (2013-19)
. . . Stephen Strasburg, $175,000,000 (2017-23)
28. Buster Posey, $167,000,000 (2013-21)
29. Jose Altuve, $163,500,000 (2018-24)
30. CC Sabathia, $161,000,000 (2009-15)
. . . Chris Davis, $161,000,000 (2016-22)
32. Manny Ramirez, $160,000,000 (2001-08)
. . . Matt Kemp, $160,000,000 (2012-19)
34. Troy Tulowitzki, $157,750,000 (2011-20)
35. Masahiro Tanaka, $155,000,000 (2014-20)
. . . Jon Lester, $155,000,000 (2015-20)
37. Adrian Gonzalez, $154,000,000 (2012-18)
38. Jacoby Ellsbury, $153,000,000 (2014-20)
39. Miguel Cabrera, $152,300,000 (2008-15)
40. Zack Greinke, $147,000,000 (2013-18)
41. Chris Sale, $145,000,000 (2020-24)
42. Mike Trout, $144,500,000 (2015-20)
43. Cole Hamels, $144,000,000 (2013-18)
. . . Eric Hosmer, $144,000,000 (2018-25)
45. Carl Crawford, $142,000,000 (2011-17)
46. Todd Helton, $141,500,000 (2003-11)
47. Patrick Corbin, $140,000,000 (2019-24)
48. David Wright, $138,000,000 (2013-20)
49. Johan Santana, $137,500,000 (2008-13)
. . . Jacob deGrom, $137,500,000 (2019-23)
51. Alfonso Soriano, $136,000,000 (2007-14)
52. Freddie Freeman, $135,000,000 (2014-21)
53. Justin Upton, $132,750,000 (2016-21)
54. Shin-Soo Choo, $130,000,000 (2014-20)
. . . Johnny Cueto, $130,000,000 (2016-21)
. . . Paul Goldschmidt, $130,000,000 (2020-24)
57. Matt Cain, $127,500,000 (2012-17)
58. Barry Zito, $126,000,000 (2007-13)
. . . Vernon Wells, $126,000,000 (2008-14)
. . . Jayson Werth, $126,000,000 (2011-17)
. . . Yu Darvish, $126,000,000 (2018-23)
62. Ryan Howard, $125,000,000 (2012-16)
. . . Josh Hamilton, $125,000,000 (2013-17)
64. CC Sabathia, $122,000,000 (2012-16)
65. Mike Hampton, $121,000,000 (2001-08)
66. Jason Giambi, $120,000,000 (2002-08)
. . . Matt Holliday, $120,000,000 (2010-16)
. . . Cliff Lee, $120,000,000 (2011-15)
. . . Elvis Andrus, $120,000,000 (2015-22)
. . . Xander Bogaerts, $120,000,000 (2020-25)
71. Carlos Beltran, $119,000,000 (2005-11)
72. Zack Wheeler, $118,000,000 (2020-24)
73. Ken Griffey Jr., $116,500,000 (2000-08)
74. Jordan Zimmermann, $110,000,000 (2016-20)
. . . Dustin Pedroia, $110,000,000 (2014-21)
. . . Yoenis Cespedes, $110,000,000 (2017-20)
. . . J.D. Martinez, $110,000,000 (2018-22)
78. Charlie Blackmon, $108,000,000 (2018-23)
79. Jose Reyes, $106,000,000 (2012-17)
. . . Justin Upton, $106,000,000 (2018-22)
81. Kevin Brown, $105,000,000 (1999-2005)
. . . Homer Bailey, $105,000,000 (2014-19)
. . . Ryan Braun, $105,000,000 (2016-20)
84. Albert Pujols, $100,000,000 (2004-10)
. . . Carlos Lee, $100,000,000 (2007-12)
. . . Ryan Zimmerman, $100,000,000 (2014-19)
. . . Evan Longoria, $100,000,000 (2017-22)
. . . Kyle Seager, $100,000,000 (2015-21)
. . . Alex Bregman, $100,000,000 (2020-24)
. . . Ronald Acuna, $100,000,000 (2019-26)
Roughly 50% provided value at least equal to the investment.
Eyesore!
AMEN.
Can you post the link?
HAD to be done, can’t keep going day to day week to week month to month hoping he would regain his dominating form! Been a R.S fan for awhile, tough to Bi%*H. the last 15 plus years., As for R.S.N. these decisions made over the winter, are the correct ones …The popular decision isn’t always right and the RIGHT decision isn’t always popular.
Any pitcher that was on the fence about TJ surgery is sure to do it now. We may not see a baseball game at all in 2020, so getting the surgery means they don’t miss out on any games. For the first year.
Good thing for Red Sox fans there won’t be a season this year. Ahh, sliver linings.
should have made this decision 3 weeks ago
Should have made it in September. Instead they went the PRP route..
I’m surprised it took this many years
two openers for sure now
2 out of 5 days to avoid watching. Openers are pitchers not good enough to actually start and create a bad game.
I dont think you know what an opener is and you should probably research it before you hate on it.
Congrats. Your rotation is about as good as the Angels.
I think we can all assume that the Red Sox are out of the playoffs this season. I’m just curious how this is going to effect the WC races in the A.L. Now the teams in the hypothetical W.C are the Indians, Rays, A’s, and then the Rangers, Angels, and White Sox. Who will be the surprise number 2 W.C? Or will it just be a race between the Rays and A’s? What do y’all think?
What season?
I don’t think there will be a 2020 season.
They’ll play in empty stadiums if they have to, and forgo tickets and concessions.
You’re missing toronto.
Not only were they a possible breakout team to be near .500 or above, but, as the red sox future for 20 weakens, theirs improves further.
He’ll be out until at least the 2021 ASB by the time he works off the rest and does his rehab..
What makes it look worse is the Red Sox have one of the highest ticket prices in the game. How do you justify it now that the team will be lucky to sniff .500 now?
The Sox were lucky because at least Dombrowski got the title. Dombrowski got the Tigers to the Series but couldn’t close the deal.
Anyone with a brain knew Bloom was brought in to rebuild the team from the bottom up. The management keeps trying to sell this pig with lipstick as legit.
they justify the ticket prices because people still buy them…and like all smart businesses they won’t lower prices until they stop making a profit so…
Ticket sales are down 20% vs last year so they may end up losing that profit this season.
I was one that was rooting for him to have a healthy season. Bummer. Maybe 4th place finish for Red Sox this year. Toronto has a chance to be the 3rd place team this season now lol
The Bosox probably knew Sale was on thin ice last fall. I have no problem with their Betts decision, but given Sale’s elbow inflammation and the desire to move Price, I am surprised they didn’t obtain any pitching back in the deal. Middle infielder, okay, Pedroia is probably done. But outfielders are a dime a dozen, and Dodgers had a lot of pitching depth. At least if Toronto’s talent gets past Boston for 3rd place in the division, Boston will have a nice pick in the 2021 draft.
It’s a shame. I remember years ago when he first came up evaluators said he’d be at risk for TJ surgery because of his light frame and pitching mechanics. Unfortunately, they were accurate.
Just another bad decision last fall, by a pitcher, a team, and a doctor that is supposed to be the best in his field. Is anyone grading the decisions made by Dr. Andrews, or ElAtraiche? I think they may be using the magic 8 ball!
That rotation is a very scary sight for a team that wants to at least try and compete
Honestly, had a feeling this was going to happen. Honestly though, this is the right time to do it. Who knows if we play in 2020, and if we do, Sale or no Sale, we aren’t going anywhere.
Interesting, that the Red Sox were unable to get the John Lackey provision, where if the pitcher misses an entire season to an arm injury, he owes the club a free season (or 1m, might be).
No doubt they tried. I wonder what Sale’s salary would have risen to, had they been able to include that proviso?
By age 30 Sale was already 26th, all time, in Cy Young award shares.
Figure at the time you signed Sale, if he had TJS he’d miss a season and a half and figure the cost is another 1/2 a season in performance decline. Now you’re down to a 3 year contract if Sale gets hurt in that manner.
Figure there’s a 50% chance of TJ, and given Sale is signed for 5/145m the numbers run:
0.50 x 22 WAR = 11 WAR
0.50 x (22 x 0.60) = 6.6 WAR
11 + 6.6 = 17.6 WAR. So figure you’re averaging 17.6/5 = 3.52 WAR per season.
3.52 WAR is surely worth $29m on the FA market, plus Sale’s the kind of pitcher who drives you towards the WS, meaning his $8.24m per win is more valuable than the same price paid to a 2 win OFer or 2Bman or starting pitcher.
TJ surgery and recovery is so well understood that since it’s his first, he’s likely to come back as the HOF caliber pitcher he has been over the last decade. Those guys are rare. They’re the pitchers worth taking a risk for, and even after you factor in a good chance he would need TJS, Sale was worth the deal.
Whether he was worth it in the context of where Boston was in regard to the tax cap is another question, but at the time Betts, Price, and Sale were a heckuva nucleus to work around.