In what world would Christian Vazquez re-sign with Boston to back up Conner Wong?
What does 2023 look like?
- Thread starter moondog80
- Start date
I think Vaz would crawl back to Boston if asked. Conversely I get the sense the front office has been itching to move on from him for a few years so my guess is that even though he would take a little less to come back, he will be playing elsewhere next year.
As for 1B, I would think Bobby makes better sense as the right handed hitting part of a platoon with Casas next year, but we may be seeing Cora’s true feelings regarding Bobby this week. He has been stapled to the bench, only appearing when Hosmer went down with a 48 hour injury. Not really pinch hitting(once against Chapman) no late at bats I’m blowouts. He is essentially in the witness protection program. Tonight, for example, brutal LHP on mound for Pirates in a 5-2 game. Bases loaded and McGuire being pinch hit for. If this isn’t Bobby’s spot than nothing else. Cora went to the bench and got.,,Refsnyder..,who hasn’t had an at bat in 3 weeks.
As for 1B, I would think Bobby makes better sense as the right handed hitting part of a platoon with Casas next year, but we may be seeing Cora’s true feelings regarding Bobby this week. He has been stapled to the bench, only appearing when Hosmer went down with a 48 hour injury. Not really pinch hitting(once against Chapman) no late at bats I’m blowouts. He is essentially in the witness protection program. Tonight, for example, brutal LHP on mound for Pirates in a 5-2 game. Bases loaded and McGuire being pinch hit for. If this isn’t Bobby’s spot than nothing else. Cora went to the bench and got.,,Refsnyder..,who hasn’t had an at bat in 3 weeks.
Bobby is here to hit lefties. He has been 100% benched in favor of a guy hitting under .200 since he got here. The new guy isn’t exactly a vacuum at first so a late inning at bat isn’t out of the question. Refsnyder is great against lefties but the gap between him and Bobby is thinner if you factor in this was Refsnyder’s first at bat in 3 weeks.
If they don't trust Ref as the first lefty bat vs lefties off the bench then there wasn't much of a reason to activate him. Of course a late inning at bat isn't out of the question, and if Ref wasn't available then Dalbec would have gotten the call.
He also hasn't been 100% benched, it just so happens that the Sox have only faced 2 lefty starters in the last 2 weeks. One of those games Dalbec started, and the other was Hosmer's first day with the team and his first game back in KC since leaving, so I'm sure Cora wanted to get him in the lineup that night. Dalbec should almost never be starting over Hosmer vs a righty, so when they only face righties yeah he's hardly going to play, that's kind of how a platoon works.
Why are we so concerned about Dalbec's playing time? It wasn't long ago that most comments on that topic were suggesting that he get less. I don't think Cora is actively benching him, but his public comments about him not long ago may suggest that he is not going to fall all over himself to put Bobby D in the lineup. At this point, he knows what he has in Dalbec and would probably prefer to use the new guys more in the short term to see how they work in his offense and the team defense so he can best deploy them during the stretch run. It's nothing personal, I'm sure, but I'm thinking Bobby will get his ABs when the time is right.
Definitely not challenging you in particular, I’ve heard this idea in our threads before. It’s hard to ignore the potential role it played in the decision to trade Vaz at the deadline…but my question is why?
He’s by accounts appreciated by the pitchers, handles Boston, hits well, and I thought played solid D. What am I not seeing that Bloom & Co might be?
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I think it’s time to move past Vaz. He’s had a good season but he was awful in ‘21 (had a great playoffs HR though).
I question his defense and especially his leadership, which as a C makes him a field C, like it or not.
I’m looking forward to McGuire and Wong to start the year and think Hernandez will be up and splitting time with McGuire over Wong by June.
I question his defense and especially his leadership, which as a C makes him a field C, like it or not.
I’m looking forward to McGuire and Wong to start the year and think Hernandez will be up and splitting time with McGuire over Wong by June.
Hernandez is out of options, so you’d need to break camp with him. The fact that the team has kept Plawecki over either Hernandez or Wong probably days something as to what they think of those guys.
Agreed, although I think Plawecki is gonezo after this season. McGuire is a better backup, possibly starter, and Wong is probably ready if they decide to not go back to Vásquez in free agency.
Yeah Plawecki is 100% gone, he's probably still on the team just because they didn't want to have 100% catcher turnover midseason. McGuire is a lock for a roster spot, if they think Wong or Hernandez is ready then one of them with McGuire is a decent tandem because he's a great backup, and while you probably don't really want him to be your primary guy for a full year he isn't going to kill you.
And if they don't really like either Wong or Hernandez then maybe they put together a deal for Sean Murphy, since they've apparently been interested in him for awhile, but couldn't work something out. Having Murphy and McGuire for the next 3 years would be a really good tandem.
Is there any interest in Joey Gallo? Would he be looking at a one year deal to build up some value? Bats left handed, hates the Yankees, decent fielder in RF, which lets us move Verdugo back to LF. He was obviously terrible in NY but that probably limits his contract value and length. He is only 29 years old.
Gallo? For me so much would depend on the make up of the rest of the team. IMO this is what hurt the Sox with the JBJ deal. I fully understand that the rest of the league doesn't wait for you to sort out your roster before they start working on theirs, but if there is still a positional need and Gallo is available after you've figured out the rest of the roster I'm OK seeing his bat at the bottom of the order. The Sox could surely use some power in the lineup, but that lifetime .201 BA isn't likely to get any better at this stage of his career. There's a little bit of positional flexibility there that also might help in a pinch.
Gallo certainly fits the profile of the type Bloom has gone after; coming off a down year, likely to sign a short term deal, positional flexibility, offers upside….he seems like a worthwhile target especially given the teams lack of power, but he seems unlikely to be a fan favorite. Will he be interested in another go at east coast baseball?
It could be interesting to see what Joey Gallo could do in Boston. He's been one of the most shifted-on hitters on the planet the last few years. Has that affected his approach? I don't think it would be worth the risk if he wasn't an excellent right fielder, but he's phenomenal out there.
Interesting article on The Athletic about the Top 25 starters who have seen their “Stuff+” increase YOY. Kutter Crawford was on the list with an increase of 5.2 (from 99.4 to 104.6).
https://theathletic.com/3513819/2022/08/18/sarris-kutter-crawford-jp-sears-and-23-other-starters-showing-big-stuff-plus-6-primed-to-break-out/
It basically shows his fastball and slider being very strong, with his changeup being underwhelming and his curve being weak but with good location — and makes the case that he should be using his slider a lot more frequently.
I’m not familiar with “Stuff+”, but this would all seem to bode well for him in 2023.
https://theathletic.com/3513819/2022/08/18/sarris-kutter-crawford-jp-sears-and-23-other-starters-showing-big-stuff-plus-6-primed-to-break-out/
It basically shows his fastball and slider being very strong, with his changeup being underwhelming and his curve being weak but with good location — and makes the case that he should be using his slider a lot more frequently.
I’m not familiar with “Stuff+”, but this would all seem to bode well for him in 2023.
This probably deserves its own thread but I am really surprised that Chaim Bloom is getting a pass on SOSH. I have 0 faith that he will do anything with the massive cap space going into next year. In 3 years other than getting lucky with a rule 5 draft pick up he has done so little to better this team, it is a travesty. One might say he's improved the farm system but that is because they finished in last place on his watch and dumped quality players for organizational depth . When he had the foresight to draft Jud Fabian in the second round he couldn't sign him. Great job drafting middle infielders that sign well below slot, how about drafting the best player available? You could maybe say the Kike signing was quality because he got hot in the playoffs, OK I'll give you that. But the core of the team last year was from the previous regimes. How about resigning Schwarbs for 4 at 20 per vs Story for 6 at 23 per and having him replace JD as DH next year? The trades have been awful and the signings haven't been much better. Trotting out Dalbec/Franchy at first and JBJ in right (not even playing him in center) is embarrassing. He's so afraid to say we won't make the playoffs so he only sells Vasquez and buys a couple middling major leaguers instead of selling off Evo and JD and really rebuilding for the future. I don't know guys, tell me I'm crazy...this guy blows and there does not appear to be a plan other than lining ownerships pockets with cash. Even if they resign Devers for big money the team won't be better. This is Boston, not Tampa and we expect consistent winning. The fan base is so apathetic it drives me nuts, Oh well...Onto the Patriots....Ugh.
We've got 9 pages on here (plus a bunch elsewhere) of members making great points on why Bloom is "getting a pass." I don't know where you're getting apathy from. You're arguing that he's done little to make the team better - does getting within 2 wins of the World Series last season just not count in your narrative?
They don't even make the playoffs last year if he didn't sign Kike, I'd say that was more than just a quality signing
Btw, out of all the upcoming free agents I think he's the most likely to stay. The Sox have a pretty big hole in center field, there aren't a ton of upcoming free agent center fielders, and he seems like the perfect guy to sign a 1+1 at a fairly low rate to rehab his value.
Btw, out of all the upcoming free agents I think he's the most likely to stay. The Sox have a pretty big hole in center field, there aren't a ton of upcoming free agent center fielders, and he seems like the perfect guy to sign a 1+1 at a fairly low rate to rehab his value.
Half the board has made this same argument 10 times over. The other half is willing to see how next year plays out before busting out the pitch forks.
It was kind of obvious the team would fizzle after 2018 because they were left with no farm and no money to spend. If Bloom wants to rely heavily on the farm to build a team, it takes a few years. If we don't start seeing the farm pay off some in 2023, Bloom should go. If we do, he should stay.
The Red Sox will also spend money. Maybe just not the way you want them to spend money. Plus bashing Bloom for offering Fabian more money than what Fabian eventually signed for is absurd. Also what MI are you talking about? Are you talking about Nick Yorke and Blaze Jordan or are you already judging the 2022 draft? Yorke and Jordan worked out pretty well. You do know they went well over slot too, right? Or do Roman Anthony, Blaze Jordan, and Nathan Hickey not count for some weird reason?
The trades have been bad to date but teams don't offer as much as they used to. I think the argument there is they should have kept the players and let them hit FA than trade them for prospects like Hamilton and Binelas. It's funny that you say he improved the farm by trading for these types but he really didn't. The top of the farm is much improved and wasn't acquired by trade. Some were already in place but Bloom should get some credit for developing them, should they work out.
I give Bloom an incomplete. Next year will tell us a lot. I don't know if that's what you consider a "pass" or being apathetic. Given 2020 was a weird year, giving him 2023 seems fine. Lets see if 2023 is more like 2022 or 2015.
Where does "Schwarbs" play this season while JD is still DH? And who plays 2B if they don't sign Story?
Like a lot of the posters here I'm less than thrilled with the way this season has played and I don't disputed everything you've written, but I don't think that Bloom has been a disaster. Like CC says, I see the grade as incomplete at this point and feel that next season will say a lot as to where this team is heading. As for the bolded, it leads me to think more troll than crazy.
I mean, I would say that our new lurker friend has a very good point. Everyone here has been completely supportive of all of Bloom's moves, the only exception being @scottyno, a sole voice of critique amidst a sea of blind approval.
So yeah, take a week off, actually read the board, then come back and do better if you are capable.
So yeah, take a week off, actually read the board, then come back and do better if you are capable.
They haven't proven capable of reading, so "doing better" is really going to be a stretch
Yeah, he would have been a disaster at 1st or a disaster in left, and if he played left then Verdugo would have had to play right all year. So the defense would have been much worse at either 2 or 3 positions in order to improve the offense at 1 spot in the rotation. He really didn't make sense unless they were going to trade JD.
He also hasn't really been that great this year, he's only having a slightly better offensive year than JD, so I'm not sure how thrilled I'd be to have him locked in as my DH for the next 3 years right now. Story fit much better for both the 2022 and 2023+ Sox teams.
Agreed on Hernandez - he's exactly the type of buy-low candidate that Bloom jumps on.
Any chance Pederson can be had for a 2/3-year type deal? I think he makes a lot of sense as an OF/DH and probably wouldn't cost a ton.
Man. . .this is metaphor? Metonymy? Synecdoche? Help me out here. I've been praising Bloom for so long I'm losing my critical vocabulary.
First base. It’s not like the position could have been worse defensively, and the offense from that spot would have been a real boost.
On Bloom I’ll say that he was dealt a crap hand having to move Betts for salary relief as his first order. Combine that with the plague stalling player development and it was a tough job. And MLB did him no favors in canceling the Rule 5 Draft last winter. He’s shown a knack for poaching talent that way. I’m willing to give him an incomplete for now and wait to see what ‘23 looks like. If he comes up with a useful piece in Rule 5, Casas forces his way into the lineup, and the minor league talent looks improved (Rafaela lights up Worcester and gets a late season call up, Mayer and Yorke make Portland, Jordan lights up Greenville, Bleis continues his march through the system), and finds some fucking OF help (and to me Verdugo being the best OF on the roster is the real biggest problem), then I’ll give him a good grade.
Schwarber was a -3 DRS in 75 innings at 1st last year. The defense absolutely could have been way worse. This also assumes that Schwarber would have had any interest in playing 1st for a full season. Especially when you no longer have Story at 2nd. That team would have been worse than the one they ended up with.
Signing Schwarber and Story should not be treated as mutually exclusive… because they weren’t.
Also, not everything is about 2022 - there was a clear long term fit for Schwarber beyond 2022; one that will be much harder to fill going forward as the 2023 FA market is going to be weak. Paying for one year of overlap is exactly what big market teams should be doing, especially in the context of a team whose roster is in as much flux right now as the Red Sox are - there essentially no talent locked up long term at all.
That’s not to mention the point that Schwarber is also a considerably better player at this point in their respective careers than Martinez.
But he hasn't been this year. Because through a full year they've been roughly equal players. Going forward that could be true, but it's also irrelevant because JD is a free agent who probably won't be back, so the comparison is instead Schwarber at 3 more years of 20m a year vs whatever they end up doing with that money and the DH position instead.
YTD:
Schwarber: fWAR; 2.0, bWAR: 1.5; 214/316/495; wOBA: 348; OPS+ 123
JD: fWAR: 0.8, bWAR: 0.8; 276/347/434; wOBA: 340; OPS+ 117
Maybe you can make that it into JD being a better player, but given he has a weaker bat and really cant move enough to play anywhere, seems hard to see it. Schwarber can at least play LF in a competent (if poor) manner. Quite frankly, he’d probably be fine at first too if given significant time there. JD cant move and thus cant play anywhere.
In any event, its somewhat meaningless and was a tangential point - there was no reason they couldn’t have Story, JD, and Schwarber all on the team for a single year.
Schwarber: fWAR; 2.0, bWAR: 1.5; 214/316/495; wOBA: 348; OPS+ 123
JD: fWAR: 0.8, bWAR: 0.8; 276/347/434; wOBA: 340; OPS+ 117
Maybe you can make that it into JD being a better player, but given he has a weaker bat and really cant move enough to play anywhere, seems hard to see it. Schwarber can at least play LF in a competent (if poor) manner. Quite frankly, he’d probably be fine at first too if given significant time there. JD cant move and thus cant play anywhere.
In any event, its somewhat meaningless and was a tangential point - there was no reason they couldn’t have Story, JD, and Schwarber all on the team for a single year.
He grades as one of the worst defensive outfielders in every single different metric, he's nowhere near competent.
And sure, they could have had all 3, then they'd have a payroll $20m larger, and instead of being 60-63 and 6.5 out they'd maybe be 62-61 and 4.5 out, great huge difference in the season. And they'd have 3 more years committed to a guy that probably wont hit well enough to be worth that money as a DH.
He is in the midst of a 1.5 rWAR campaign with a SLG-heavy .800 OPS and terrible defense in left field. Assuming he ends up in the neighborhood of 2 rWAR, the ~3/$60 left on his contract looks to be around par, maybe a touch underwater. Given the Phillies' Oops! All DHs! roster, it might make sense for them to try to become a bit more athletic. If I'm reading this right, they are starting three of the 23 worst defenders in baseball by Total Zone, but are somehow not the worst defensive club in baseball.
What I guess I'm trying to say is that if you want Schwarber to DH for Boston going forward, that could probably be arranged. And maybe we should! Paying retail prices for a much-needed middle-of-the-order bat could really help, even he's not really the .950 OPS guy we saw in 2021.
In a world where Dan Vogelbach types are falling off trees and putting up OPS+ 129 for $1M, I'd rather not pay twenty times more for a similarly fielding-challenged Kyle Schwarber, even if he is from Waltham.
Or, just give Enmanuel Valdez a shot at the DH position and see what he can do.
Or, just give Enmanuel Valdez a shot at the DH position and see what he can do.
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No offense meant Daniel but, a lot of sox fans beat that drum about getting within 2 wins of the World Series. I felt then, as I feel now, that the Red Sox were just Lucky in beating the Rays in the postseason. 5 games series...anything can happen...and it did. I think we all know we only made the playoffs last year because of well the Sox played in the first half.
Second half of 2021, the Sox were a .500 team, this year we are still a .500 team. This is the body of work that needs focus...not what we did one week last October.
I am a Chaim supporter but that being said it is a huge uphill climb being a 5th place team in the AL East.
Did anyone else catch Shank's column from yesterday - the one where he recommends the Red Sox sign X, Devers, Judge, and anything and everything else available on the market?
Getting lucky in the postseason is not unique to the 2021 Red Sox. It happens every year - in fact I'd posit that postseason success relies on luck (not sure how you'd quantify it beyond the fact that the team with the best regular season record doesn't win every time).
And at the end of the day, they still made it to the ALCS. Arguing that it doesn't count as a positive for Bloom just because you don't like how they got there is disingenuous.
Um. . .not really. In 2021, we were .521 in the second half, actually. While dealing with a fairly massive Covid outbreak: https://sonsofsamhorn.net/index.php?threads/now-its-sales-turn-sale-has-covid-will-not-start-sunday-9-10-update.34434/page-7#post-4606513 And the sticky-ban effect.
We had a good deal of player turnover in the offseason, so they're not really "the same team" - anymore than early 2021 was the same team as late 2021 with the additions of Schwarber and Iglesias and Shaw.
For this year if you replace some of Winckowski (team record 6-7), Crawford (team 4-6 in starts) with a healthy Chris Sale or Eovaldi. . .we'd be right in it. And that's partially because Winckowski (and possibly Crawford) would have likewise displaced Seabold, Bello, and Davis as emergency starters (1-6 - depending on how you look at some of those bridge starts.)
On the other side of the RS/RA equation, a healthy Hernandez and Story and Casas might have made a large difference. Or even JD Martinez avoiding his July/August collapse.
2022 basically came down to injuries. They weren't designed to be a powerhouse, but they should have been competitive with even normal injury luck.
They also didn't play optimally - for example, they certainly could have handled the Houck/Whitlock situation better, and seemed not to adapt offensively in the early going slump. But mostly, injuries.
Splitting hairs a little bit with their record aren't we? I said they are a .500 team, and the first comment you make is that they were .521, not .500, which is 3 games over .500. But somehow you fail to mention that even though I said they are a .500 team this year, in fact they are 3 games under. OK, let's split the difference. In the last 194 regular season games played the Sox are 97-97
When I referred to the same team, I was referring mostly to the position players. So what are the differences? In 2021, we had Renfroe, Marwin G, and Franchy on the opening day roster. In 2022 , we had Story, JBJ, and Arauz. Aside from those players, the position players were the same. Sorry that's really not a good deal turnover, especially with the starting lineup.
I agree that injuries have hurt and hurt a lot, but injuries have hurt Tampa more than the Sox and they currently reside in second place.
Bottom line is we all have our opinions. Mine at the beginning of the year was a prediction of 81-81. I wish I were wrong, but I just don't see this group scaring anyone in the AL East. The Yankees are better, ditto Tampa and the Jays.
A healthy Chris Sale? There is no point in the Sox counting on that ever happening. If he gives them anything positive in the next two years then it is a bonus. Bloom should build rotation that does not depend on Sale or the Sox will probably be in last place again next season.
First half of this year they were a 90 win team. Then they had to use almost the entire Worcester pitching staff for a month and not surprisingly had a horrid month that took them down to .500. So yeah sure, if they have to get something like 40 unexpected starts from rookie pitchers again next season then they're probably going to struggle.
Btw, if we focus on the body of work that was the 2nd half of 2021, and ignore the covid context that brought that half down and nearly tanked the season, that would be an 84 win pace, which is about what the 2022 Sox were projected for, and if they were on an 84 win pace right now they'd be right in the playoff race.
Why does this need to be brought up every time Sale is mentioned? We get it, he's been injury prone over the last couple years. Previous injury does not predict future injury. There was no reason to think in December that Chris Sale would only make 1.5 starts this season. Hell, there was no reason in MARCH (when he was already on the IL for his rib) to think he was only going to make 1.5 starts this year.
It's really okay to have a discussion of "what if" that involves a healthy Chris Sale. It's only a hypothetical.
Games started in 2022 (123 games)
- Pivetta: 25
- Eovaldi: 18
- Hill: 18
- Wacha: 15
- Winckowski: 13
- Crawford: 10
- Whitlock: 9
- Houck: 4
- Davis: 3
- Bello: 3
- Seabold: 3
- Sale: 2
- Paxton: 0
Their five "best" starters would have been: Pivetta, Eovaldi, Sale, Paxton, and Whitlock, IMO. But Sale wasn't expected to come back til early June, so let's say he was "supposed" to get about 20 starts. Paxton wasn't expected to come back til August, so let's say he was "supposed" to get about 12 starts. Eovaldi started 32 games last year so it was probably expected that he'd get 30 starts. Whitlock probably they hoped he would get about 20 starts. And Pivetta was probably expected to get 32-33.
So their best five starters were expected probably to get about 104 starts (64% of their total starts), leaving 58 (36%) for other guys like Wacha and Hill and others to fill in.
But so far, their best 5 starters have given them 25+18+9+2 = 54 starts out of 123 games, which is 44%. And that number will continue to go down because they're getting nothing from Sale or Paxton or Whitlock the rest of the way in terms of starts. And Eovaldi is on the IL. So it's reasonable to think that the rest of the season they might only get another 8-10 starts from their "best" five. So let's say they end up with 63 total from that group. That's just 39%, meaning some 61% of their starts will have gone to pitchers not among their "best" five, when that best five was probably projected to get about 64% of their starts. That's 41 starts LESS from their best five than they were probably hoping. (thereabouts)
But if you think of Hill and Wacha and even Whitlock as being in their best five, they've still needed 36 starts from Winckowski, Crawford, Houck, Davis, Bello, and Seabold. That's 29.3% of their team's starts - almost one out of every three games - being pitched by guys they weren't counting on to really pitch games for them.
Unless they were all studs, that's pretty hard to overcome. And clearly, they haven't.
- Pivetta: 25
- Eovaldi: 18
- Hill: 18
- Wacha: 15
- Winckowski: 13
- Crawford: 10
- Whitlock: 9
- Houck: 4
- Davis: 3
- Bello: 3
- Seabold: 3
- Sale: 2
- Paxton: 0
Their five "best" starters would have been: Pivetta, Eovaldi, Sale, Paxton, and Whitlock, IMO. But Sale wasn't expected to come back til early June, so let's say he was "supposed" to get about 20 starts. Paxton wasn't expected to come back til August, so let's say he was "supposed" to get about 12 starts. Eovaldi started 32 games last year so it was probably expected that he'd get 30 starts. Whitlock probably they hoped he would get about 20 starts. And Pivetta was probably expected to get 32-33.
So their best five starters were expected probably to get about 104 starts (64% of their total starts), leaving 58 (36%) for other guys like Wacha and Hill and others to fill in.
But so far, their best 5 starters have given them 25+18+9+2 = 54 starts out of 123 games, which is 44%. And that number will continue to go down because they're getting nothing from Sale or Paxton or Whitlock the rest of the way in terms of starts. And Eovaldi is on the IL. So it's reasonable to think that the rest of the season they might only get another 8-10 starts from their "best" five. So let's say they end up with 63 total from that group. That's just 39%, meaning some 61% of their starts will have gone to pitchers not among their "best" five, when that best five was probably projected to get about 64% of their starts. That's 41 starts LESS from their best five than they were probably hoping. (thereabouts)
But if you think of Hill and Wacha and even Whitlock as being in their best five, they've still needed 36 starts from Winckowski, Crawford, Houck, Davis, Bello, and Seabold. That's 29.3% of their team's starts - almost one out of every three games - being pitched by guys they weren't counting on to really pitch games for them.
Unless they were all studs, that's pretty hard to overcome. And clearly, they haven't.
He hasn't been healthy since the 2018 season, or did you forget that he missed time that year and was shaky in the playoffs? Then his 2019 season, the last under his former contract, was up and down before he went on the DL. He's had spotty availability since and has rarely pitched like he had full command of his body. Any discussion of a "healthy" Chris Sale IS purely hypothetical at this point, because he's never going to be "healthy" again, in the sense that he is never going to be what he was when they first traded for him, which is who DD thought he was signing to a 5-year, franchise-altering extention. That opinion is based on almost four seasons of growing frustration with a guy who isn't the most likable player as it is.
Any discussion that involves the idea of a "healthy" Chris Sale being a meaningful contributor to this club's success over the next two seasons is a bit of a fantasy, though a nice one.
Glad you've completely missed the point, because we definitely need a 5035th re-hashing of Sale's injury history and contract extension.
