Chicago White Sox Using Chris Sale Like Rental Player

The Chicago White Sox are all but mathematically eliminated from the postseason this year. So why are they riding Chris Sale like a rented mule?

It is a time honored tradition for teams that are desperate to make the postseason to shorten their rotation. An acquired ace, if a rental player, can truly rack up the innings over final few weeks of the season. Just look at the workload that the Milwaukee Brewers gave C.C. Sabathia during his time in Wisconsin.

While it can make sense for that type of workload to be given to a player that is not in a team’s long term plans, that is not the case with Chris Sale. Essentially eliminated from the playoffs, the White Sox ace is signed through 2017 with team options for the following two years. At a combined $38 Million, including options, for one of the best pitchers in the league, Sale would seem to be the sort of pitcher that would be in their long term plans.

The White Sox, however, are not treating Sale as though he is a part of the future. Despite not having a legitimate chance at the playoffs, Sale has thrown 50 innings in his last six games, pitching a minimum of eight innings per start. In those outings, he has averaged just under 118 pitches per game, and has not thrown fewer than 111 in any game.

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Perhaps this usage is an indication of how the Chicago White Sox are viewing Sale going forward. After all, he did infamously pull his best Edward Scissorhands impression on the White Sox throwback uniforms, and has called out the team for not caring about winning ballgames. Sale has also had his differences with Robin Ventura, further showing his displeasure with the team.

Of course, publicly, Sale and the White Sox are saying the right things. The White Sox are claiming they need to be “blown away” to deal their ace, and Sale is saying he wants to remain in Chicago. But sometimes, actions speak louder than words.

In this case, Sale’s pitch count would seemingly contradict the White Sox intentions of keeping him around for the long term. A young pitcher, especially one who is considered one of the best in the game and has pitched over 200 innings in three of the past four years, should be given the chance to miss a start if need be. As the White Sox have nothing to play for, and are in need of finding pieces for the future, this would be a good time to let Sale rest his arm for next year, when the games may actually mean something. Instead, by having Sale throw as many innings as he has lately, the White Sox may have a slightly better record and a worse draft pick.

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Considering the Chicago White Sox usage of Chris Sale, it may not be a surprise if he is on the trade block this offseason. He is certainly being used like a rented mule.