Chris Sale was an outspoken figure last week during Adam LaRoche's retirement controversy. The left-hander told reporters that the Chicago White Sox management "bold-faced lied" to the team about the situation, and he was clearly unhappy with how things went down.
Despite the further friction Sale created, it's been reported the White Sox are not considering trading the 26-year-old.
Sale has been the subject of trade rumors for quite a while, as many previously believed it'd be a good idea for Chicago to move him and get maximum value to perhaps begin a rebuild with the potential haul he would bring in return. The team has failed to make the postseason for the past seven seasons and also hasn't captured a division title over the same span. However, general manager Rick Hahn went in a different direction this offseason and acquired a number of veterans to compete in the near future.
As a result, Sale remains a part of those plans.
"Nothing has changed in terms of our direction or expectations for the upcoming season," Hahn told Dan Hayes of CSN Chicago in an email. "We remain committed to putting this current club in as good a position as possible to contend this year."
Multiple sources told Hayes that the White Sox are not interested in moving him.
Another White Sox source confirmed the same to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe, saying, "No chance. There was no chance in the offseason and no chance now. We're building our team around Chris Sale."
The left-hander is under a team-friendly contract that will pay him $9.15 million in 2016, $12 million in 2017, $12.5 million in 2018 (team option) and $13.5 million in 2019 (team option). Based on his performance during his six MLB seasons (57-40 with a 2.91 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 1,011 strikeouts in 196 games), the White Sox would really need a favorable blockbuster deal to be swayed.
However, that's apparently not in their plans right now. Still, that could change if the team fails to meet expectations in 2016, so keep an eye on such trade rumors if the White Sox pick up where they left off in 2015.