Chris Sale has been the most dominant starting pitcher to don a Boston Red Sox uniform that I’ve ever had the pleasure of watching. He’s only been in Boston for two years but the man has already accumulated 13.7 fWAR and 545 strikeouts against just 77 walks. He’s finished top five on the Cy Young ballot in each of the last five seasons and he would’ve certainly won the award last year if it weren’t for a late season injury. And he still hasn’t reached his 30th birthday.
With this in mind it is not at all shocking that the Red Sox were eager to ink the southpaw to an extension before he entered his walk year and they’ve done just that with a five-year $145 million contract.