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

Chris Sale is staying with the team.

According to Alex Speier of the Boston Globe, the southpaw has told the team that he won't opt out of his contract, which will pay him $55 million over the course of his career.

Chris Cotillo of Mass Live broke down Sale's contract extension that paid him $27.5 million over the course of two seasons. In addition to the potential opt-out after the 2022 season, the deal featured a vesting option for 25 years that is worth at least $20 million.

When this decision was made, it would have meant keeping one of the best pitchers in the league.

Sale has seven All-Star selections and the World Series crown. He finished in the top six of the American League Cy Young voting seven times.

He was traded to the Red Sox ahead of the season after spending the previous six years with the White Sox.

In his first season in Boston, he was an All-Star and had a sparkling 2.90 earned run average, but it was his second season in which he won the World Series with a 2.11 earned run average.

He missed the shortened 2020 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery, after hisERA ballooned to 4.40 in 2019. He made just nine starts in his first year.

Sale's debut in July was ruined by a fractured rib cage and he only made two starts before he broke his finger. He was ruled out for the season in August after breaking his wrist.

He chose the security of his deal at the age of 33 because he was worried about hisDurability is a massive concern at this point, which means it is anything but a surprise that he chose the security of his deal at the age of 33

Boston is 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 towards helping the team's chances in the American League East, but keeping him healthy would be an improvement.