Chris Sale and the Chicago White Sox Agree on a 5-Year, $32.5 Million Contract

The Chicago White Sox announced that they have signed left-handed pitcher Chris Sale to a five-year, $32.5 million extension. 

Details of Sale’s new deal with the White Sox were broken down by Chicago Sun-Times beat writer Daryl Van Schouwen:

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Sale, 23, will receive $850,000 in 2013, $3.5 million in 2014, $6.0 million in 2015, $9.15 million in 2016 and $12 million in 2017. The Sox hold options for 2018 at $12.5 million and for 2019 at $13.5 million. If either option is declined, Sale receives a $1.0-million buyout.

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It is a bargain for the White Sox and a level of security for Sale.

White Sox general manager Rick Hahn was quoted in a press release (via MLB.com) as saying that the team is “thrilled to be able to reward Chris for his accomplishments thus far in his career and to keep one of the best young starters in the league in a White Sox uniform for potentially the next seven years."

The contract is right in line with what Mike Axisa from FanGraphs.com had projected earlier Thursday.

“Based on our comparable pitchers though,” Axisa wrote, “$30 million or so spread across the next half-decade is a pretty damn good reference point for Sale’s contract talks with the White Sox.”

In 2012, Sale went 17-8 with a 3.05 ERA and 192 K's in 192 innings pitched. He finished sixth in American League Cy Young voting and was the bedrock of the White Sox pitching staff.

With Sale’s signing, the White Sox have Jake Peavy, John Danks and Sale locked up through the end of the 2014 season.

The story was first reported by ESPNChicago.com.

 

*Statistics courtesy of BaseballReference.com.

@MatthewSmithBR