The Latest On Chris Sale: Torn Up Jerseys, Trade Rumors, And Tweets
By Matt Dolloff, CBS Boston
BOSTON (CBS) -- A lot of weird, wild stuff went down over the weekend with White Sox ace Chris Sale, and the Red Sox were part of the tornado of stories. But the headliner was, clearly, the bizarre story of Sale's clubhouse meltdown that got him scratched from his start on Saturday and suspended by the team for five games.
Here's everything you should know about what went down with Sale over the weekend ...
- Sale was mysteriously scratched from his scheduled start on Saturday. After it was confirmed that Sale was neither traded nor ill, the White Sox released a statement referring to a "clubhouse incident" that spurred the scratch.
- Today's Knuckleball was the first to report that the "clubhouse incident" in question was over Sale's refusal to wear the White Sox's designated throwback jerseys for the game, apparently due to issues with discomfort. The situation escalated to the point that Sale cut up all of the jerseys with a knife so nobody on the team could wear them.
- The White Sox suspended Sale for five games in the wake of the incident. A team statement said Sale was suspended for "violating team rules, insubordination, and destroying team equipment." Read: throwing a tantrum.
- People said funny things on Twitter after details of the incident spilled out, as they are wont to do with such outrageous, bizarre stories.
The clear winner here was the Fresno Grizzlies, a Triple-A affiliate of the Houston Astros ...
- Sale's name has popped up in trade rumors more than usual in recent weeks. The rumors ramped up over the weekend in the wake of Sale's clubhouse meltdown. A well-placed source reportedly told "White Sox Dave" of Barstool Sports that the Red Sox would need to include Mookie Betts and Andrew Benintendi as the start of a package for Sale, which would also require three or four additional prospects. FanRag's Tommy Stokke told WBZ's Adam Kaufman Saturday night on CBS Sports Radio that a Sale trade would "require [Yoan] Moncada, [Andrew] Benintendi AND [Michael] Kopech..at least."
Betts in any trade is a complete non-starter, if you ask the Boston Globe's Peter Abraham.
- The Red Sox, however, have reportedly "checked in" on Sale, according to baseball insider Jon Heyman. The Red Sox and Dodgers are the teams Heyman says would have the "prospect stash" it would take to get Sale.
Matt Dolloff is a writer for CBSBostonSports.com. His opinions do not necessarily reflect that of CBS or 98.5 The Sports Hub. Have a news tip or comment for Matt? Follow him on Twitter @mattdolloff and email him at mdolloff@985thesportshub.com.
