8. Chris Sale struggles in Boston debut
On paper, Sale was a good acquisition for the Boston Red Sox. Sale didn’t come cheap, but if his stats from Chicago go with him to Boston, the Red Sox should have the American League’s best starting rotation.
Still, when we look at this a little further, it doesn’t feel like a match made in heaven.
Sale couldn’t get along well with the front office in Chicago. While Boston has enjoyed a great deal of success over the last decade plus, it’s front office hasn’t always acted great. We can’t forget the smear campaigns of Terry Francona and Bobby Valentine at the end of their tenures with the Red Sox. Sale is a guy who has taken a knife to his team’s uniforms for the day and didn’t seem terribly remorseful about it. What kind of stories will come out if he doesn’t get along well with people in Boston?
How will he respond to the intense media? Make no mistake, Chicago isn’t exactly a small market. But the White Sox are probably the least followed of all of The Windy City’s professional teams. The Red Sox, meanwhile, are always front and center in Boston.
There’s a lot about this to be skeptical about. If Sale struggles, it’s unlikely that anyone will treat it as just a bad year. David Price was heavily scrutinized throughout 2016, and he doesn’t have anywhere near Sale’s baggage.
Again, the fit with Sale looks good on paper, but it seems more potentially problematic than that. If nothing else, watch it closely through the year.