Sports
Chris Sale, Red Sox Close To Contract Extension: Report
The Red Sox are close to a contract extension with their ace, who is entering the final year of his deal.
BOSTON, MA — The Red Sox and ace Chris Sale are close to a contract extension, The Boston Globe reported Friday. Sale, 29, is entering the last year of a contract he signed with the Chicago White Sox before being traded to Boston. The extension would be in the area of five years for $150 million, according to ESPN.
The lefthander has been one of the most electric pitchers in baseball and arguably the American League's best pitcher since arriving in Boston. He is 29-12 with a 2.56 ERA and 545 strikeouts in 372 1/3 innings in two seasons here. Sale struck out Manny Machado to end the World Series last year.
Sale has made the All-Star team each of his last seven seasons. He did break down in the 2017 playoffs after throwing a league-high 214 1/3 innings, then suffered a dip in velocity after only 158 innings last season.
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Sale is the all-time leader in strikeouts per nine innings and strikeout-to-walk ratio.
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