Chris Sale’s contract eats up a good chunk of the Boston Red Sox payroll, but they say that hasn’t stopped them from pursuing players they want.
Sale’s $145 million extension, signed prior to the 2019 season when Dave Dombrowski was in charge, has been a disaster from both a health and performance standpoint. There’s hope that he can get back on track and offer some value in the final seasons of the five-year pact, but thus far Sale has not come through on his end of the bargain -- which he readily admits.
Red Sox general manager Brian O’Halloran suggested Thursday on The Greg Hill Show that Sale’s contract hasn’t impact their free agency pursuits.
"Certainly, yeah the contract hasn’t gone as he had hoped, as we had hoped,” O’Halloran said. “And as to whether it affects things, of course we have a budget every year, just like every team. So when you allocate a significant amount of money to a player, yes, of course that eats up part of your budget.
“But I will also say … we always have enough resources to win,” O’Halloran continued. “And if there have been players we thought were good fits on good contracts, we’ve pursued those and we have plenty of resources.”
Since Bloom took over, he has extended Rafael Devers for $331 million, given Trevor Story $140 million and added Masataka Yoshida on a $90-million contract. Sale's deal runs through the 2024 season, with a club option for 2025.
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