Red Sox Rumors: Chris Sale Won't Opt out of Contract, Owed $55M Through 2024

Chris Sale is staying with the Boston Red Sox.

The southpaw has told the team he will not opt out of his contract that will pay him $55 million through the 2024 campaign, according to Alex Speier of the Boston Globe.

In 2019, Chris Cotillo of Mass Live broke down Sale's contract extension he agreed to at the time that paid him $27.5 million over each of the final two seasons (2023 and '24). In addition to the potential opt-out after the 2022 season, the deal featured a vesting option for 2025 that is worth at least $20 million and based on games started.

There was a time when this decision would be excellent news for the Red Sox considering it would have meant keeping one of the best pitchers in the league.

After all, Sale's resume includes seven All-Star selections and the 2018 World Series crown. He also finished in the top six of American League Cy Young voting seven times and led the league in strikeouts twice.

The 33-year-old pitched for the Chicago White Sox from 2010 through 2016 before they traded him to the Red Sox ahead of the 2017 campaign.

It was more of the same to start his tenure in Boston, as he was an All-Star who led the league in innings pitched with a sparkling 2.90 ERA in his first season and somehow topped that with a World Series title and 2.11 ERA in his second year.

However, things went downhill from there when his ERA ballooned to 4.40 in 2019 before he missed the shortened 2020 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery. He also made just nine starts in 2021 after debuting in August of that year.

Sale's debut in 2022 came in July thanks to a fractured rib cage, and he made just two starts until he suffered a broken left pinky finger. He was then ruled out for the season in August when he broke his right wrist while riding his bike.

Durability is a massive concern at this point, which means it is anything but a surprise that he opted into the security of his deal at the age of 33.

Boston is now tied to an expensive contract for a pitcher who may never fully return to his previous form as it looks to bounce back from a disappointing 78-84 effort in 2022.

Having Sale pitch like an ace again would go a long way toward helping the team's chances in the American League East during the next two seasons, but just keeping him healthy would be an improvement.