SUNDAY: The White Sox have issued a five-day suspension to Sale as a result of his Saturday behavior. He’ll be out of action through Wednesday.
“Chris has been suspended for violating team rules, for insubordination and for destroying team equipment,” Hahn stated. “While we all appreciate Chris’ talent and passion, there is a correct way and an incorrect way to express concerns about team rules and organizational expectations.”
Hahn added that the White Sox still believe Sale can be part of the solution for the franchise (Twitter link via Dan Hayes of CSN Chicago).
SATURDAY: The White Sox scratched superstar left-hander Chris Sale from his start Saturday in Detroit, which Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet was first to report (Twitter link). Given that Sale has begun generating significant trade buzz this week, speculation initially ran rampant that the White Sox had a deal in place to move the 27-year-old. That isn’t the case at the moment, though, as Chicago actually scratched Sale because of a pregame “clubhouse incident.”
“Chris Sale has been scratched from tonight’s scheduled start and sent home from the ballpark by the White Sox due to a clubhouse incident before the game,” senior vice president and general manager Rick Hahn said in a team-issued press release (Twitter link via Paul Skrbina of the Chicago Tribune). “The incident, which was non-physical in nature, currently is under further investigation by the club.”
Sale got into an altercation with front office staff, which began in “silly” fashion and blew up into a bigger argument, tweets Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com (links here). Amazingly, the fight centered on Sale’s disdain for the White Sox’s throwback uniforms. Sale didn’t want to put them on, so he cut all of them up to prevent anyone from wearing them, relays Tommy Stokke of FanRag Sports (via Twitter). FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal subsequently corroborated Stokke’s report, adding that Sale first requested Chicago not wear the uniforms because they’re uncomfortable. When the White Sox declined, Sale became livid because, in his view, the franchise decided to prioritize p.r. and jersey sales over winning (links to Twitter).
This isn’t the first off-the-wall dust-up of the year featuring Sale, who lashed out at team president Kenny Williams in March after first baseman/designated hitter Adam LaRoche retired because the White Sox requested that he bring his son, Drake, into the clubhouse less frequently. Saturday’s disagreement did not include Williams, per Rosenthal (Twitter link).
Sale’s issues aside, he’s unsurprisingly still drawing interest from elsewhere as the Aug. 1 non-waiver trade deadline nears. The White Sox are continuing to discuss him with other teams, according to Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter). One team with interest in Sale is the rebuilding Braves, via reports from both Chris Cotillo of SB Nation and David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Twitter links). Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports reported earlier Saturday that the White Sox want five top-caliber prospects for Sale, whose years-long track record of on-field brilliance has continued this season. Sale’s strikeout rate (8.73 per nine innings) is at its all-time lowest mark, but he continues to limit walks (1.96 per nine) and runs (3.18 ERA). He’s also controllable for extremely team-friendly dollar figures through 2019.
shocking and weird. sale has quickly become a very interesting story to watch
Smoke screen…..somethings up
Or he doesn’t want to be traded…
Why wouldn’t he want to be traded? Not saying he does or doesn’t but there is no reason to think that. He has made it publicly known he hates the team president and the team has been mediocre for sometime.
incident was with a staff member
Because he has said that he doesn’t want to be traded… Despite what a lot of people believe, there are still a few guys who would prefer to play for 1 team their entire career. He may be one of them? I don’t know; I don’t know him.
So then stop making absurd statements. There is zero reason to believe that this was to stop a trade so why spactuale with no basis in fact. How many players come out and yell “”I want to be traded”?
This would be something you do when you want to be traded
It’s absurd to think that he might not want to be traded after he’s specifically said he doesn’t want to be traded? Unless you’ve heard him say otherwise, I wouldn’t be calling that “absurd.”
Why wouldn’t he want to be traded? The White Sox aren’t going to win anything anytime soon and if he’s traded he won’t ever have to wear their stupid throwback uniforms. Seems like a win-win to trade him at this point.
Can you give a location where we can read for ourselves that he said he doesn’t want to be traded? I’ll bring up the 800 lbs gorilla. I think people believe you are making that up, or perhaps your information is out dated.
Terrible smoke screen lol. You don’t give a smoke screen that could potentially hurt the value of your most valuable asset.
Sale for Schwarber, Baez and Solar. Cubs get one of the top 5 pitchers in baseball without affecting their starting lineup. The Chi-Sox get their DH, SS and RF. Win-Win, the players don’t even have to move.
no way the white sox trade sale to the cubs
Why would the Cubs give up so much when they’re one of the few teams that doesn’t have a hole in their starting rotation? You don’t sacrifice the future for an unnecessary luxury.
This is hilarious!
I don’t know why this is such a big story. When I heard what really happened I couldn’t stop laughing.
Sox need to get off this iron fist dictatorship and remember Sale IS the Sox. This could of easily been handled with a fine and reasonable discussion done by someone higher up than the person who told him no.
You find destruction of team property merely a laughing matter? While it is pretty funny to us, it definitely isn’t to the White Sox. He’d have been fired were he working in just about any other industry on the planet.
Okay. Point taken. How about looking at it from Sale’s point of view though? I have to wear what??? I’m just gonna cut these up so we don’t have to. It’s like in office space with having to wear a certain # of “flair” pieces.
The Sox management have been too serious about themselves this year. They were doomed for a prank like this.
Wow! I bet the incident is related to the trade rumors.
Now the braves should be able to get him for a bag of balls and a broken pitching machine but still might be to much for him
How funny. There are multiple teams that could (and would) offer up far more than Atlanta be able to pony up should the Chisox seriously open any bidding war over Sale’s services.
Not multiple. Keith Law holds the Braves as top farm in baseball. BP lists them as top 5. You should give credit where it’s due.
It’s gonna take a bag of balls, a broken pitching machine AND Nick Markakis!
Keep Markakis you’re hitting your cause at that point, sox would need to throw in some safety scissors too though just in case Chris relapses
Interesting…
I wonder if they told him he got traded and he wasn’t gonna start tonight and he got in an argument.
Monday’s AND Benitendi likely have to be in any Sale deal. Do you really think the BoSox can get an ace and a proven closet without giving up their top two guys or are you just hopeful they can?
SOURCE: Sale had a temper tantrum in the clubhouse and forced the #WhiteSox hand. Forced to be sent home due to his behavior.
Doesn’t say about what yet
“Not a joke: Source says Sale blowup was because he didn’t want to wear throwbacks, so he cut the jerseys up so no one could wear them.”
That’s one way to convince the White Sox to trade him.
Trade him to the Rangers before he becomes a cancer in the locker room.
This message brought to you by a completely objective, non-biased** Rangers fan.
**so totally biased 😉
As a Sox fan we need to do a total rebuild. Everyone saying the Rangers are the team with the prospects. So hopefully this deal takes place. Any decent pitching prospects you guys have?
Ortiz and Tate are well-regarded Rangers pitching prospects.
He got mad when he found out he was being traded to the Cubs straight up for Cubs mascot Clark. Lol
Only trade that could have upset him that bad is if he is going to the Braves or Toronto.
Cannot help but feel that Chris Sale is upset that he is being involved in trade rumors, especially when he signed a team friendly deal to be with the Chicago White Sox.
Wow, how bad of a temper tantrum does it have to be to get sent home.
There’s pre-existing bad blood between Sale and the front office over the LaRoche debacle.
Like cutting up the throwback uni’s they were supposed to wear tonight…. That got it done !
Boston gets Sale
Robertson
CWS gets Mocada
Devers
Kopech
Light
Kelly (Boston pays)
Sorry for the sloppy spelling
as a white sox fan I would decline that offer. unless we receive an overwhelming offer I wouldn’t move him.
That’s pretty close to overwhelming. If DD had saved Espinoza and added him to the aforementioned package, then you do it without hesitation.
I think the DD statement falls under hindsight..
Sale cut up his uniform and all of his teammates uniforms in a temper tantrum. He doesn’t want to be there and has now force white sox hand to tell teams to put best offers up and for them to choose. He is done there after this and his comments from the spring
I think the Rangers are presenting a better package to be honest with you.
Bradley, moncada, Devers, Benintendi,and pomeranz for sale and Roberson. Starting Allstar outfielder, starting Allstar pitcher, #1 prospect in all of baseball, beats any deal. Do I think dombrowski does that deal, more than most general mangers or owners of teams that keep getting said are involved.
I don’t think Bradley was mentioned above but thats a nice offer there. White Sox not going anywhere so a Sale deal seems imminent to me.
No way the Sox will trade Bradley he is a very valuable player at this point that would be a ridiculous overpay besides its well known that DD loves JBJ and tried to trade for him when he was with Detroit.
DD had no loyally to any of these players, it’s a business not a fantasy team. Chicago will want mlb ready major league talent, not years away, with little or no service time,and a Bradley, pomeranz, moncada deal would set the table. Dombrowski was brought here to win now, not in 2019. If you keep Benintendi, then Bradley can be traded
He is not trading Bradley that is an overpay not going to happen. Yes he was brought into win but he is not trading his all star center fielder Moncada and Pomeranz ridiculous overpay. If he did ship Bradley which he won’t then no way Moncada comes too. Ridiculous.
Benintendi is not ready to take over for Bradley that significantly weakens the Red Sox this year. They are trying to win this year and you don’t do that by trading your young cost controlled all star center fielder. Guys like that just don’t get traded. Texas has balked because they want Mazara he is a solid contributed now on their team Bradley is even more entrenched.
Last year he hit for one money and struggled the I-95 shuffle for 3 years because he couldn’t hit lefties. Young was brought in to platoon with him. Now he has figured it out. Battled 9th most of the year, not its 6th. Bradley is the perfect guy, if you want to save either moncada, which I don’t think will be traded. If and when this trade never happens, Bradley, Devers, pomeranz, E-tod and Kopech, can get you your 2nd ace for playoff run this year and next 2 as well. Win now, not in 3 years. Sale, price, wright, porcello all signed through 2019 is a good start
Just like Ellsbury and pedroia weren’t ready in 07. Or maybe even papelbon as well. Sox think he is weeks from being ready and will be there by Aug 31st when playoff rosters are set.
Every scouts both national or local have rated Benintendi with plus range and plus arm, but still think his best is still lagging some. It’s not a defensive drop off and you get Chris sale
It’s still a ridiculous overpay and won’t happen.
If Bradley is traded Moncada ain’t going he will be the main piece and White Sox won’t get Devers or Kopech it could be argued that Bradley is almost as valuable as Sale they have already stated they want 5 prospects it will be a prospect trade and it would almost certainly include Moncada. They get way fewer pieces with Bradley.
that deal would be very interesting as a white sox fan.
I don’t see Boston trading Bradley though
That’s probably close, but I can’t help but feel it’s a little light for Sale and Robertson. Also I’m not a white sox fan.
I’m not moving sale for less than moncafa, devers, benintendi, plus more I.e. groome and kopech. sale is a player the white sox should build around, and only trade for an insane package like I proposed
Probably exactly the package they want which no one will give so a trade will never happen
Sorry rules say Groome can’t be moved til after the series
No true anymore a player can now be traded as soon as they sign.
Not true, rule changed after trea turner was stuck in San Diego, when traded as player to be named later. So mlb changed one year wait period to can be traded any time, like in Shelby Miller trade
No, they didn’t. The rule got changed to restrict the trade of players drafted until the conclusion of the world series for the season in which they are drafted.
So it’s the famous player to be named later again, except it’s the day after World Series and not next June’s draft
Honestly I think a deal like this could get it done, but not sure the red sox are willing to include moncado in any deal.
Sale confronted Hahn inquiring if there was any merit to the rumors. When Hahn confirmed it, Sale was candid in his displeasure about the front office failing to extend him the courtesy of a heads-up.
Astros should be in the mix, Luhnow loves guys who are controlled, and we have a great mix of bats and arms in the minors. Might be why Bregman wasn’t called up yesterday
Oh yeah, like Sale would love to pitch in those Astros throwback Tequila Sunrise jerseys.
I don’t wanna give up Swanson
I doubt they’d give up Swanson.
“Not a joke: Source says Sale blowup was because he didn’t want to wear throwbacks, so he cut the jerseys up so no one could wear them.”
WTF???
Coming out of Chicago? I wouldn’t be surprised to see them wearing Bill Veeck’s old short pants uniform again for a game as some kind of throwback. No other city would, but THAT town? Anything is possible.
Yeah that’s been confirmed on tearing up uni’s
If that’s the case I’m not sure I want him
Atlanta doesn’t have the players to go get Sale. However, The Braves could go after a Sonny Gray and Puig (after they traded Markakis and a prospect to the Royals for Yordano Ventura)
Eh, Atlanta has the players. It just depends on if they want to mortgage the farm for it.
You really think the Royals give Ventrua for Markakis? Ventrua is young and has upside unlike Markakis. Not happening.
No, but depending on the prospect, it’d be a worthy trade considering KC has been falling out of love with Ventura for almost a year now
Trade him to Dodgers please. I want him out of the AL!
Urias-De Leon-Puig-Barnes and Verdugo Should do it.Sox can throw in Duke
Sale has been in the rumour mill for a while so nothing new here unless it simply all boiled over…sounds like someone was messing with his pregame routine
Whenever I don’t like the food I’m eating I throw it against the wall
I followed the Twitter links, and some guy brought up a good point to Costillo- that Dave O’Brien guy isn’t exactly the greatest beat writer/source. His confirmation of Griffey signing with the Braves in ’09(?) was pretty embarrassing. Not sure if that’s a rumor that actually holds water.
White Sox Trade:
Chris Sale LHP
Rangers Trade:
Joey Gallo 3rd
Nomar Mazara OF
Jurickson Profar 2nd
Dillion Tate RHP
Lewis Brinson OF
LOL…. Keep dreaming
Bergman, Martes and Fisher for Sale
More. Much more
The White Sox gave away 1976 replica jerseys tonight to the first 20K fans, so yeah, you could see the promotions/front office staff being a little miffed by Sale’s actions.
Also, he has stated in the recent past to the Chicago media that he wants to be with the White Sox for the rest of his career. You can’t take the word of players this far out from free agency, but it is on the record.
So every fan gets 2 jerseys?
Haha, I lol’d
I see what you did there, funny. Tigers are always a good draw on the weekends, so hitting 21K shouldn’t be too hard.
Lol nice
only one jersey, and a shredded piece
Roger Clemens said he’d never pitch for the Yankees. And then goodness gracious he was in George Steinbrenner’s box.
Are you confusing Clemens with Damon? I don’t remember Clemens saying that once. Not saying he didn’t say it by the way. Just making sure you have the right guy.
The Rangers offer for Sale just dropped down to Mitch Moreland and a bag of peanuts.
Hey, this guy is an ace on any staff he joins. Show some respect here. Throw in your largest-size beer and we’ve got a conversation.
How bout a dozen Boomsticks? Dems good eating!
Really? He threw a fit because he didn’t want to wear the throwback uniform? He’s not endearing himself to fans with that kind of an attitude.
Not endearing himself to the fans of his potential next team I would imagine, we don’t need more crazy in Boston, we’re still getting over Carl Everett
Try Milton Bradley and zambrano…:(
Lol, can you really blame him? Look up those 1976 uni’s and tell me you’d be caught on TV wearing that
Poor Robin. 🙁
If the braves trade 5 of their best prospects for Sale it would be the most stupid thing they have done, and we have done some dumb things. I just can not believe they are in the picture.
Agreed, no reason to kill our rebuild for a pitcher.
Lol you can keep Sale DD leave this guy alone. Upset over throwback uniforms and pitches fit what a clown keep him.
What a diva!
Sounds like he’s having a nervous breakdown.
If these were the throwback uniforms then I don’t blame him:
i.imgur.com/d0bYrxo.jpg
Step right up, who wants to trade for this clubhouse cancer!
Every team in baseball.
No. There has to be at least a couple sensible GMs out there as skeptical about Sale’s near future arm health as I am.
This will be everyone’s attitude if their team doesn’t land him. No one can say with a straight face they don’t want Chris Sale on their favorite team.
I can, at least for the price he would cost. And my team actually did have him at least in theory. The Rox drafted him out of HS in 2007 in like the 20th round or so, but he made the seemingly wise decision to go to college.
It depends on the Cost of the Red Sox had to send one of their killer B’s plus I don’t want Sale. If it is a prospect trade then yes I would want Sale.
Sale got upset about the way the “LaRoche” incident was handled, perhaps he wants out of Chicago.
It would be incredibly stupid for the Braves to gut the farm at this point for Sale regardless of how good he may be. It’s not the right time for this kind of move. They can’t be serious.
Lol some of these comments are hilarious. Just like how teams would “shy away” from Sale after the LaRoche incident. Didn’t happen then, not happening now.
And for the record, he didn’t choose to wreck these jerseys because he didn’t like the way they look; he did it because they were uncomfortable and he didn’t like the way it felt throwing in them. Did he do the right thing? Absolutely not. But everyone will get over it VERY quickly.
Well, in about 5 days they’ll get over it. Whether or not that is “quick” is subjective.
There isn’t anyone on this comment page who could act like that and keep their jobs. It’s only because he’s an insanely talented pitcher that he can get by acting like this.
There isn’t anyone on this comment page who is as valuable to their company/organization as Chris Sale is. Funny what you can get away with when you’re the best at what you do.
Depends on where you work.
The problem with someone good is they can get entitled. Certainly appears from our outside perspective that we have a bit of this going on.
I did a Google search to see why these uniforms might be uncomfortable(pullovers and vest/undershirt combos might be for pitchers) and one of the top results was from Ed Farmer saying how ugly they were but they were “…the most comfortable…” he has ever worn. Now, Ed Farmer is no Chris Sale but it sure appears that something went very awry if this started out as something “silly” as the sources imply.
It’s “silly” because it is so childish. Sale acted like a 6 year old throwing a temper tantrum. A 27 year old grown ass man throwing a fit over what he had to wear for the game. If I were Hahn and had to deal with a pouting, yelling Sale who’s holding scissors in one hand and a uniform in the other, stomping his feet about having to wear said uniform….. .I’d be laughing my ass off and asking him, “are you serious? Are you being serious right now?” Then he has to go and punish him, ground him if you will. “No nintendo 64 for you for a week young man. And those lights in your bedroom best be off by 10pm.” I just picture Hahn putting Sale over his knee and spanking him. Then Sale running and crying to Kenny and Jerry saying the babysitter hurt him, hahahahahaha. How do you NOT see the silly in this is the question.
It’s totally unprofessional. Obviously we all know he’s an incredible pitcher, but he’s really acting like a whiny entitled brat denied an ice cream cone. It’s looking to me like this dude never heard the word NO in his life because he was always a hot shot superstar from high school onward.
If Drake Laroche had been in the clubhouse today, this could have allllllll been avoided.
Burn!
lol..in drake we trust
Actually laughing out loud right now.
I predict Chris Sale has pitched his last game as a member of the ChiSox. “I demand a trade” is all he needs to say to torch the return Chicago gets for him.
And in related news, Kenny Williams has recaptured the crown as worst and most incompetent executive in professional sports.
He can demand a trade all day long, he still is under control through team options through 2019. That’s more than enough time for his lorazepam prescription to get filled.
Sign that man up for a massage, seems a bit stressed!
Maybe He’s still at Robin for taking him out Monday after throwing 8 innings of 1 hit shutout ball with only 100 pitches to watch the Sox loose the game 4-3 in the 9th ………. I wouldn’t want him on my team either
What a lucky break for the Tigers!
Why do I get the feeling this is all an elaborate hoax to cover up a sore elbow? Wouldn’t exactly be the first time Sale’s suffered through elbow soreness. Almost an annual event.
I know it’s far fetched thought, but even for Sale I’d like to give him the benefit of the doubt and would like to think he doesn’t act like a toddler throwing a temper tantrum. Either way you boil it down….. what a headache, They either need an excuse to rest his possibly sore arm, or he is just an immature twat who pouts and kicks his feet (and cuts up clothes he doesn’t want to wear apparently) when he doesn’t get his way. I almost feel bad for Sox fans. Their team is a mess. I say almost because I can’t stop laughing at that circus on the south side. The circus ran by two clowns, Reinsdorf and Kenny. I guess another 3rd and likely option is they are preventing him from pitching so he stays healthy up to the trade deadline so they can trade him. Quite an elaborate, reputation killing story though just to sit your trade chip. Bottom line……. what a joke.
This is a pretty terrible conspiracy theory.
If the Sox were covering up a sore arm to give him a chance to rest, do you really think the story they would go with was that he threw a temper tantrum and destroyed team property? What is the value in that? It makes Chris Sale look awful, it makes the team look bad, and you gain absolutely nothing you couldn’t gain by a much simpler lie like “he has the flu.”
Entitled dweeb. Sorry. You’re a professional baseball player, Chris. Act like it.
Kenny needs to go. Sale sees how idiotic he is. If Hahn didn’t have to sit under Williams thumb, he’d be a good GM. Why would Sale want to stay on a team, who 1. Doesn’t know how to draft and develop position players. And 2. When they do by chance hit on a position player, trade them for low obp guys. I honestly believe Texas or maybe even Houston gets him. Could see the Giants pulling a “out of nowhere” deal for him. He gave them a ridiculous discount when he signed that extension. And this is how they are with him. “Hey, we know you’re one of the best 3 pitchers in the game, but we are just going to go get guys like Austin Jackson and trade a decent amount for Todd Frazier. We aren’t really going to spend a lot of money, because well, Jerry thinks we should just ride your left elbow until it snaps. Then we’ll go into a full rebuild. Hang in there Chris, we want to win. We really do, it just might take until you’re 35 to do it”.
Did they really trade all that much for Frazier?
So what if they trade Sale to a team with an already-ugly uniform?
The Marlins wouldn’t be interested.
Nobody’s going to give 5 top prospects for that no matter how good he is.
How about this three-team trade:
White Sox: Tehran, Devers, Kopech, Touki,
Red Sox: Sale, Vizcaino
Braves: Benintendi, Moncada,
Imo, with probably a little tweaking, it could be a win for all. As is, Red Sox fans will probably cry that they’re selling the farm. Which they are. Yet, they are also making themselves the World Series favorite.
The only team who benefits from that is the Braves. Neither of the other two would do it. Why would you have the Braves getting a better package than the White Sox when they’re giving up far less? We need a moratorium on trade proposals involving Teheran.
As a dual RS and ATL fan, I’d do it….tho sox losing Moncada would hurt, the fact that he would go to my fav NL team would make it sting a lot less. I think he could be a Mookie/Xander type star….92 SB in 165 minor league games. WOW.
I wouldn’t do it for just Sale tho…Vizcaino would for have to be included. He is pitching well and under team control for a long time.
I also don’t think the White Sox would do this.
Thee top 25 prospects in the deal and only one goes to the team that parted with the best player in the trade?
Way too light on the White Sox return. Over-valuing Teheran here.
agreed, horrible deal for the white sox
Red Sox need a “Sale Price” top of the rotation. Moncada, Benintendi, Kopech and 2 second tier guys. Moncada with 92 steals in 165 minor league games. Holy shit.