Call to arms: Red Sox acquire Sale

Chicago was known to be asking a lot in talks for Sale, and chose the Red Sox’ package over a Nationals’ offer that was headlined by Lucas Giolito and Victor Robles.

The teams have not confirmed the trade, but president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said early Tuesday morning that the Red Sox were involved in many trade discussions would be open to making more moves during the Winter Meetings. Philosophically, his actions provided a glimpse into a larger problem – he believed the White Sox valued business over winning.

But if the goal was to get a Moncada and a Kopech and whatever Besabe and Diaz can become, and if they couldn’t get Andrew Benintendi from the Red Sox or Trea Turner from the Nationals, then they couldn’t wait. All came and went with Sale still wearing a White Sox jersey. News stories displayed here appear in our category for Sports and are licensed via a specific agreement between LongIsland.com and The Associated Press, the world’s oldest and largest news organization.

“As I look at the lineup for next year, one of the keys for us is going to be Panda”, Farrell said.

The Houston Astros also made a strong push for Sale. For the $63 million, the 21-year-old played a total of eight games in the majors, all this season, and batted.211 with one RBI. Baseball America rated him as its No.1 prospect at midseason previous year. He has compiled an 8-7 record over three minor league seasons, finishing 2016 in Salem, where he posted a 2.25 ERA in 11 games. He averaged 9.3 strikeouts and 1.8 walks per nine innings.

He was limited this year after fracturing his hand in a fight with his roommate. Add in a bullpen that will return its closer and a lineup that was the best in baseball previous year and should be expected to be atop the league again in 2017, even without Ortiz, and you have the makings of a juggernaut.

Moncada put together an.817 OPS as a 20-year-old in Class A in 2015, after taking an entire season off from baseball. Victor Diaz is a 22-year-old righty with a plus-plus fastball and not much else. His final season in NY, spent filling in for an injured Rivera, he saved 39 games with a 3.08 ERA. He’s the only pitcher in baseball to rank in the top 15 in all three pitches.

But to be certain, the Sox will miss Sale.

Barring injury, the Red Sox will start the 2017 season with a 1-2-3 starting pitching punch of David Price, Sale, and Rick Porcello. He is the team single-season record-holder with 274 strikeouts, set in 2015. The White Sox suspended him for five days in the wake of the incident. “I think we’re going to have a good club either way”.

He went 17-10 with a 3.34 ERA over a career-high 226 2/3 innings this year, at the end of which he acknowledged a trade was a possibility. The Sox had weighed the possibility at the trade deadline in August.