I think we all had hopes for Sale, just like we did for the 5 previous seasons- one by one.
He had a real nice long stretch of starting in 2023, which showed he had not "lost it," and just needed to stay healthy.
Last 15 starts of 2023:
3.16 ERA/ 3.41 FIP (not vintage Sale, but good enough, for sure)
(Note: this 15 start run included missing a 5 week stretch)
He was at 3.92/3.96 in his 9 starts after returning from his injury in '23.
He has 9 straight starts, this year. That makes 18 straight, over 2 seasons. The last time he did that was....?
2019, when he had a 4.40 ERA (3.39 FIP)
I'm a huge Sale fan, and I hope he has a great finish to his career, except when facing us, but I was tired of hoping against hope.
2020
2021
2022
2023
He went 5 seasons dashing our hopes. I got fed up with it.
Of course, I wish we had this Sale, for this year, but this deal is so far from being completed. I'm pretty sure we would not have extended him. It looks like we might have taken the $20M option, if he completes this season, like this.