Chris Sale: 'I Wanted to Be' with Red Sox After Signing Contract Extension

Boston Red Sox ace Chris Sale was scheduled to hit the open market next offseason, but he had no interest in leaving the reigning world champs.

"I made it very adamant at the very beginning of all of this that I wanted to be here," Sale said on Saturday after agreeing to a five-year extension through 2024. "I'm very thankful that we were able to make it happen."

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported that Sale's new deal will be worth $145 million, although he can opt out of the contract after three years:

The 29-year-old is in the process of finishing out one of the most team-friendly deals in MLB history, a five-year, $32.5 million contract he signed as a member of the Chicago White Sox in 2013. He was traded to Boston in December 2016.

All he has done since signing his last contract is extend his string of consecutive All-Star selections to seven, lead the AL in strikeouts twice and help the Red Sox win a World Series.

Sale is coming off a season in which he went 12-4 with a 2.11 ERA and a 0.86 WHIP in 27 starts, striking out 237 batters in 158 innings. Despite missing most of August with a shoulder injury, the left-hander still finished fourth in AL Cy Young voting.

He then went 1-0 with a 4.11 ERA in five postseason appearances, including three starts. He was given the ball in Game 5 to close out the 2018 World Series:

Per MLB.com, Sale ranks first in the Live Ball Era (1920-present) in strikeouts per 9.0 innings at 10.86. He and Washington Nationals ace Max Scherzer are the only two pitchers in baseball to pile up 200-plus strikeouts in each of the last six seasons.

It's possible Sale could have received more had he tested free agency in the winter. However, money wasn't his motivating factor.

"I think it's pretty fair for both sides. That's why I signed it," Sale said (starting at 8:14 mark). "But for me, the best possible deal wasn't the most money. That is for some people, and I respect it. And I would actually tell people to do that. Go to free agency, maximize your opportunity, get everything you can. We have a very small window as athletes in any sport to maximize our opportunity because we can't do this for 30 years."

To his credit, Sale never publicly complained about the extension he signed in 2013. Now, he will be compensated closer to the value he brings to the team.

Sale's first two seasons in Boston have worked well for both sides, and they found a way to get a deal done to keep the relationship in tact for years to come.