MLB Rumors: Red Sox Discuss Long-Term Deals With Sale, Bogaerts

The Boston Red Sox have been widely linked to Manny Machado and Bryce Harper, but it may be best for them to first secure players on their end. Chris Sale and Xander Bogaerts are two seemingly overlooked important players on the team, and chairman Tom Werner finally got things moving with them.

According to the Boston Herald, the Red Sox have already engaged in extension talks with Sale and Bogaerts. Details of what the sides discussed were kept under wraps, with Werner simply saying that they wanted both players to be in Boston for the rest of their careers.

It wasn’t too long ago when Sale said that he had not received any calls from the Red Sox. He is set to become a free agent after the 2019 season and likely to get his share of interested suitors. But before that happens, Boston is making sure that they discuss Sale’s future.

Despite shoulder issues last season, Sale is undoubtedly an important player to keep. With no starting pitcher prospects looming in the market, the logical choice is to dangle Sale with a contract extension. It remains to be seen how long that deal would last.

“He had minor issues. They were able to take their time and give him some rest at one point, but he hasn’t had any significant shoulder issues — not significant,” said principal owner John Henry.

Whatever the deal may be, it will hopefully not be the same as the one the Red Sox offered to Jon Lester back in the 2014 season. That low-ball offer didn’t end up pretty with Lester eventually being traded to the Oakland Athletics, ESPN reported. He would go on to sign with the Chicago Cubs in the offseason.

Learning from the Lester case, it will be interesting how well the Red Sox will handle the Sale extension offer. While they have expressed their willingness to have the 30-year-old baseball player on their end, it still boils down to the numbers and how long he will be in a Red Sox uniform.

“We would love to be able to sign him. I think he would like to as well. But there are the realities of the market place and budgets and this is his opportunity to be a free agent, potentially, which we’d like to avoid, but I think he would as well. So something could happen.”