Alex Speier of The Boston Globe reports that the Red Sox are close to extending ace Chris Sale long term, keeping him in Boston for years to come. Jeff Passan of ESPN reports that the deal is in the five year, $150 million range.
Sale, who turns 30 years old on March 30, is one of the most consistent, if not the most consistent, starting pitchers in the game. Since 2012 he has made the All Star Team every season, averaged 240 strikeouts in 198 innings pitched per year, and in that span has not finished lower than 6th in Cy Young voting.
He is also the all-time leader in strikeouts per nine innings with a career 10.9 mark, as well as strikeouts per walk with a 5.38 mark.
It’s likely that while we might know the details of the contract relatively soon, the deal will not be officially announced until after Opening Day due to luxury tax implications.
Though Sale pitched only 158 innings in 2018, he still finished 4th in Cy Young voting, garnering one first place vote. He went 12-4 with a 2.11 ERA, 1.98 FIP, 0.861 WHIP, and 237 strikeouts en route to a World Series ring with the Red Sox.
