Monday, July 25, 2016

Random Thoughts (July 25, 2016)

I have a question this morning for Dave Dombrowski.

What's the price you're willing to pay for Chris Sale?

The 27-year-old lefty ace of the White Sox, who has been rumored to already be on the trade market, is probably very available this morning after being suspended by the team for an incident in the locker room on Saturday.

Sale, who started the All-Star Game earlier this month and is currently 14-3 with a 3.18 ERA for Chicago, reportedly used scissors to cut up the throwback jerseys the team was scheduled to wear for Saturday night's game.  He was the scheduled starter and when he was scratched due to his protesting the jerseys, he entered the clubhouse and destroyed them.  The team wore a different set of throwback jerseys and Sale was sent home and then yesterday general manager Rick Hahn announced the five-game suspension.

This is an opportune time for contenders like the Red Sox to pounce.  The price to add Sale, who is under team control through the 2019 season, will not be cheap but any team willing to meet the White Sox demands will be getting a Cy Young award caliber pitcher in the prime of his career.

While I hope the likes of Yoan Moncada and Andrew Benintendi would be untouchable based on the scouting reports of Boston's minor league stars, Dombrowski may have to be willing to part with at least one of them to put Sale in a Red Sox uniform.

The Red Sox may be able to build a package for Sale based on either Moncada or Benintendi with recently acquired pitcher Drew Pomeranz (who is under team control through 2018), third baseman Rafael Devers, and catcher/outfielder Blake Swihart (who is currently on the DL) rounding out the deal.

The White Sox would get some much needed young talent as well as a major league pitcher who just was in the All-Star Game and the Red Sox would get a top of the rotation starter to pair with Rick Porcello and David Price.

***

Congratulations to Boston Globe columnist Dan Shaughnessy, who entered the Baseball Hall of Fame yesterday as the winner of the J.G. Taylor Spink award.

Shaughnessy has never been a personal favorite of mine but the older (and wiser) I get, the more I appreciate Shaughnessy.  His job is not to write fluffy pieces that shower the hometown teams with love, it's to deliver his informed opinion.  I, like many people, disagree with him often but another important part of his job is to make people talk about his columns as despite anyone's feelings about his opinions, Dan Shaughnessy's columns always create discussion in Boston.

Since joining the Globe in 1981, he has done his job.  He shares his opinions on the teams that he covers closely and people debate these opinions.  The Hall of Fame made an excellent choice.

For a great recap of his big day in Cooperstown read the thoughts of his colleague Nick Cafardo, who is also a Hall of Fame worthy baseball scribe, in today's Globe.

***

Let's (hopefully) enjoy Drew Pomeranz tonight.

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