Left-hander Chris Sale and the Boston Red Sox are working toward a long-term contract extension, league sources confirmed to ESPN’s Jeff Passan.
A deal is not done but is trending that way, and the expectation is that it will get finished.
A deal, if completed, is likely to be in the five-year, $150 million range, league sources told Passan.
The Boston Globe first reported that the sides are getting close to a deal.
Sale is entering the last year of his current contract. He will earn $15 million in the final season of the five-year contract he signed with the Chicago White Sox before the 2013 season. The contract guaranteed $32.5 million, including a 2017 option buyout. He had a $12.5 million salary this season in the first of two option years and will wind up earning $59 million over seven seasons plus award bonuses.
The 2017 AL Cy Young Award runner-up and a seven-time All-Star, Sale struck out the side in the ninth inning of World Series Game 5 against the Los Angeles Dodgers to close out Boston’s fourth championship in 15 seasons.
Sale, who started the All-Star Game for a third straight season, went 12-4 with a 2.11 ERA and 237 strikeouts in 158 innings. He finished fourth in the Cy Young vote
Sale also dealt with shoulder inflammation that led to two stints on the injury list in the second half along with diminished velocity and dominance in the playoffs.