The first order of business for the Boston Red Sox to address this offseason was also the most obvious. Keeping Chris Sale in town was the top priority.
The team announced on Tuesday that they have exercised the 2019 option on Sale’s contract. He will be owed $15 million next season, his last before hitting the free agent market. He would have been paid a $1 million buyout had the team declined the option, although that was never going to happen.
Sale produced another stellar season, going 12-4 with a 2.11 ERA, 0.86 WHIP, and 237 strikeouts.