NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. -- The Red Sox -- who came away with the top starting pitcher (David Price) and top reliever (Craig Kimbrel) last offseason -- have done it again.
MORE ON THE TRADE
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- Yanks GM: Red Sox are 'the Golden State Warriors of baseball'
- Dombrowski on trading prospects: 'You go for it'
- DJ Bean: Farewell to the prospects who were traded away
- Players and analysts react to the news
- Nightengale: Red Sox now prohibitive favorite in A.L.
Early Tuesday afternoon, the Red Sox acquired White Sox ace left-hander Chris Sale for four prospects: Infielder Yoan Moncada, pitchers Michael Kopech and Victor Diaz, and outfielder Luis Basabe). The news was first reported by Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal.
Sale, who will turn 28 in March, is regarded, with Price, as one of the best lefties in the American League and gives the Red Sox a dominant top-of-the-rotation trio (Sale, Price and Cy Young Award winner Rick Porcello). He was 17-10 last year with a 3.34 ERA, the second 17-victory season of his career. In his career he is 74-50 in 248 games (148 starts) with a 3.00 ERA.
He is signed to a team-friendly contract that will cost the Red Sox just $38 million over the next three years.
The White Sox' disappointing 2016 season -- 78-84, fourth place in the A.L. Central -- led to a decision by management to rebuild, with Sale being dangled as the chip that could fetch the most prospects. Over the last few weeks it was reported that the Red Sox, Nationals, Astros, Rangers and Braves were Sale's biggest pursuers, with Washington regarded as the front-runner as recently as Monday. But the high ceilings of Moncada and Kopech intrigued Chicago, and the White Sox decided to go in Boston's direction on Tuesday.
The Red Sox now have seven potential veteran starting pitchers -- Sale, Price, Porcello, Drew Pomeranz, Eduardo Rodriguez, Steven Wright and Clay Buchholz -- on their roster, four of whom are left-handed.