Emma: White Sox Can't Waste Time With The Sensational Chris Sale
By Chris Emma--
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Once every five days in a miserable 2015 season, the White Sox seemed unbeatable. Sensational ace Chris Sale has a way of doing that.
The 26-year-old Sale keeps getting better and better during his young big league career, solidifying his place as one of baseball's best pitchers. His 2.60 xFIP was second in the game behind only Clayton Kershaw, and his absurd 11.82 K/P was the best mark of any pitcher.
At the conclusion of the 2015 campaign, one in which the White Sox finished a disappointing 76-86, Sale sat down with general manager Rick Hahn and explained he could've pitched another six or seven games at peak form. The season was already over.
"Obviously, we weren't in a position in October to see how strong he would've been," Hahn said. "That's one of our main goals, one of the things we'll hopefully get to enjoy this season, is seeing Chris Sale performing at that level in the postseason."
It remains to be seen whether the White Sox will be any better in 2016. This team was more than a Todd Frazier away last season.
Sale's entering his seventh year with the White Sox and fifth season as a starter. His WAR, per Fangraphs, has risen each season as a starter, from 4.7 in 2012 up to 6.2 in 2015. Sale has ascended each season.
Sadly, the White Sox have regressed as Sale has risen. They flirted with the playoffs in 2012 before falling short, then finished 30, 17 and 19 games back of first place in each of the following three seasons, respectively. A team built to contend in 2015 came well shy of the World Series champion Royals.
The White Sox are wasting the prime of a man who should go down as their greatest pitcher ever. They need to change that trend. Sale wants nothing more than to win.
"The whole point of us showing up every year is to win a championship," Sale said when asked about individual goals. "That's really the only goal that I have.
"Get to the playoffs. Individual stats and awards only go so far in a team game. We don't play this game to hit .300 and go home on October 1st."
Sale signed a five-year, $32.5-million contract extension in 2013, an extraordinarily team-friendly deal for the 2010 first-round pick that keeps him under team control through 2019, the last two years of which are team options.
Perhaps Sale jumped the gun in assessing financial value so young. By comparison, former teammate Jeff Samardzija just signed a five-year, $90-million deal after the worst season of his professional career.
"I'll never complain about my salary or my income or whatever it might be," Sale said when asked about his contract compared to others' deals. "I'm just glad to be here.
"We show up to win games, not to worry about contracts."
Agent BB Abbott, who represents Sale, likely has a different thought than his client. Sale's going to garner big offers from elsewhere when he hits the open market; after the 2017 season would be the earliest, though at this rate the White Sox will certainly keep him through 2019.
If Sale can stay healthy and steady, he may get more than Max Scherzer's $210 million. The most money the White Sox have ever given a player is $68 million over six years for Jose Abreu.
Pitching on a steal of a deal, Sale has been simply outstanding for the White Sox. The team has wasted his dominance thus far.
"Expecting him to be able to build and grow on what he's already accomplished is probably unrealistic, given how superlative he's been so far," Hahn said. "We're really just looking for him to be the same guy going forward."
The White Sox need to be good more than once every five days to get their ace on the mound in a postseason. Sale's sick of his season ending by October.
Winning is top priority for Sale. The White Sox have to get him to the playoffs to keep him happy in Chicago.
Chris Emma covers the Chicago sports scene and more for CBSChicago.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670 and like his Facebook page.