Chris Sale cuts up White Sox uniforms in 2016, lands in Boston in offseason
A look back at Sale's decision to cut up retro uniforms, trade that sent him to Boston
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During the winter of 2016, the White Sox were facing some difficult decisions. Chicago was toying with the idea of trading left-handed ace Chris Sale.
The decision to trade the left-handed hurler was difficult for the White Sox considering his age and contractual control.
On December 6, 2016, the White Sox ultimately decided to trade their ace to the Red Sox for a prospect haul. The trade would make positive impacts for both teams. The foundation for Sale’s exit out of Chicago began earlier that season.
The Adam LaRoche incident
Back in March of 2016, team president Kenny Williams made a controversial decision within the White Sox clubhouse. Williams asked then White Sox first baseman Adam LaRoche to stop bringing his son Drake into the clubhouse as often.
According to reports at the time, Williams reportedly asked LaRoche to "dial it back".
The decision didn’t sit well with LaRoche who elected to retire and leave the White Sox. His decision to retire cost the first baseman $13 million in salary.
The clubhouse wasn’t happy with Williams’ decision and the team was on the verge of a revolt. Then manager Robin Ventura had to stop his team from boycotting a spring training game as protest.
Chris Sale vs. Kenny Williams
Sale and Williams would get into a heated argument over the LaRoche situation. The former White Sox lefty told Williams to stay out of the clubhouse. In addition, Sale went off on a “F-U” tirade against the team President.
“Kenny said quite a few things — contradicting statements a couple of times,” Sale said. “He came to the players, said it was the coaches. Went to the coaches, said it was the players. Then he came in here and told us it was the owner. We’re not exactly sure who it’s coming from, where it’s originating from. That’s why were still trying to figure out where it all came from.
“We got bald-face lied to by someone we’re supposed to be able to trust. You can’t come tell the players it was the coaches and then tell the coaches it was the players, and then come in and say something completely different. If we’re all here to win a championship, this kind of stuff doesn’t happen.”
Chris Sale cuts up uniforms
The spat between Sale and Williams wasn’t a one and done thing. Sale would later get suspended by the team after he cut up throwback White Sox uniforms.
The White Sox were planning to have the team wear 1976 throwback uniforms. However, Sale had other plans and refused to wear the throwback threads.
Sale did his best Edward Scissorhands impression and destroyed the uniforms, by doing so, team couldn’t wear them.
Sale used a knife to slash the jerseys which didn’t sit well with the front office. Not only did Sale hack up his uniform, he also destroyed his teammates too.
The lefty was immediately suspended from the team for the incident.
White Sox trade Chris Sale to the Red Sox
The White Sox made a tough decision in the off-season and decided to trade their ace. Despite all the talent, his age and controllability of his contract, Chicago decided to move on.
Then Red Sox President of Baseball Ops Dave Dombrowski would be aggressive and went out and landed Sale.
Chicago would acquire infielder Yoan Moncada, pitchers Michael Kopech and Victor Diaz and outfielder Luis Alexander Basabe for Sale.
“Given where we were as an organization entering this offseason, we knew we were going to have to make some painful decisions,” said White Sox general manager Rick Hahn.
“But if we had the opportunity to acquire some high-impact talent that would be around for a number of years, it was time to start that process,” added Hahn.
The deal was made easier for Chicago after Sale’s disruptive behavior the previous season.
Luckily for Boston, Sale helped the Sox win a World Series in 2018. Moncada has been a positive staple in the lineup for the White Sox since the trade.
Kopech has all the potential in the world to be a contributor for the White Sox pitching staff. He missed 2019 due to Tommy John surgery and opted-out of 2020 due to personal reasons.
Conclusion
Sale has been dominant for the Red Sox since coming to Boston. He has been part of a World Series championship, he’s stuck out 300 batters and matched a career high in wins with 17.
The competitive left-hander is battled back last season from Tommy John surgery. He helped the Red Sox make their playoff push to October. Sale wound up making nine starts in 2021, going 5-1 with a 3.16 ERA in 42 2/3 innings of work.
Sale is signed with the Sox through 2024 and will be relied on to lead the rotation. He’s been everything as advertised since joining Boston and will be relied upon on as the Sox move this team forward in the future.
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