Chris Sale wasn’t on the mound Tuesday night in his return to Fenway Park, but he was still the center of attention.
At least, after the first tinning…
Sale received a video tribute and a (disappointedly and undeservedly) tepid ovation from the Fenway faithful in between the first and second innings.
The @RedSox welcome 2018 World Series Champion Chris Sale back to Fenway Park. 👏 pic.twitter.com/R4fvt5LBI1
— MLB (@MLB) June 4, 2024
The longtime Sox southpaw smiled and confidently pointed to the camera in tribute to the fans, raised his fist that would have dawned a 2018 World Series ring had he not been in uniform, tipped his cap and patted his chest.
Forever a World Series champion in Boston. #DirtyWater pic.twitter.com/fvKOpvqAya
— Gethin Coolbaugh (@GethinCoolbaugh) June 4, 2024
It wasn’t exactly a hero’s welcome (you can blame John Henry and the barely interesting roster he assembled for that as Fenway was again taken over by out of town fans), but you could tell that the moment meant a lot to Sale, who did not stick around to speak to reporters after the game.
"It was cool, it was nice," Braves manager Brian Snitker said when I asked him about Sale's moment in the sun. "You know, I know he meant a lot to this organization. That was nice that they acknowledged him."
Sale’s strong start to the 2024 season (he’s 8-1 with a 3.06 ERA and 0.95 WHIP even after coughing up eight runs to the A’s last time out) would normally make his absence much harder to swallow, if it weren’t for the unexpected success of Boston’s rotation.
Nonetheless, Sale should be forever appreciated by fans for being the pitching anchor of the greatest team in Red Sox history. He played the role of that big, bad, fiery ace that everyone covets perfectly.
Were the injuries part of the equation and ultimately too much to overlook at the end? Yeah, they were. But they say absence makes the heart grow fonder, and that sentiment certainly seemed to be true for both parties on Tuesday…
Fenway Fried?
As one former Red Sox ace was honored on Tuesday night, another potential one took the mound for the Braves.
Max Fried did his best Sale impression as he pitched for the second time in his career at Fenway Park for the Braves. Fried set a new career high for strikeouts with 13 over seven innings of three-run (two earned) ball in Atlanta’s 8-3 blowout win.
Max Fried sets a new career high with his 12th strikeout of the night. pic.twitter.com/egzhHtdXkI
— MLB (@MLB) June 5, 2024
The 30-year-old southpaw also helped pitch the Braves to a 6-3 win at Fenway on Aug. 31, 2020, tossing five innings of two-run ball on five hits with two walks and five strikeouts to improve to 6-0 on the way to a perfect 7-0 season that saw him post a career-best 2.25 ERA.
(Another player who performed well in that aforementioned 2020 Braves’ win in Boston was none other than Adam Duvall, who socked a solo shot over the Green Monster. This time as a former Red Sox, Duvall (STATS) in his first game back at Fenway since the Red Sox decided to cheap out and not bring him back over the offseason…
Considering that the Sox’s starting outfield on Tuesday consisted of Rob Refsnyder, Jarren Duran, and Bobby Dalbec in right field (really???), it’s safe to say that Duvall is another player they could have really used this season…)
The only catch was … no one was there to witness it.
Fried’s first Fenway start occurred during the pandemic-shortened, crowd-less 2020 season. This time around, Fried got more of the true Fenway Park experience.
"It's definitely a lot different energy," Fried said when I asked him about actually pitching in front of fans at Fenway. "You can feel the history when no one was in the park, but you know, having the buzz and the fans and all of that, it added to it. It's a special place, for sure."
Making matters more intriguing, Fried is in a contract year and set to be a free agent next winter. Even though he is on the wrong side of 30, it’s fair to say that Fried will fetch a pretty penny as one of the game’s elite left-handed starters.
You know, I actually think I know of a team that could really use one of those…
(Alright, alright… I can hear your comments already. “Gethin, the Red Sox don’t spend money anymore! They’re never gonna spend big bucks on someone like Fried!” You may be right, but I sure as heck will never stop holding Henry’s and ownership’s feet to the fire to operate like the big market baseball team they are. And if they don’t want to do that anymore, they should get out of the game and sell to somebody else who will…)
Fried would be an excellent fit atop a Red Sox’s pitching staff that has certainly over-performed in the first half of this season. Despite the successes of their rotation, the fact remains true that Boston does not have a single left-handed starter.
And even with all the success of his rotation this season, you’re telling me that Andrew Bailey really wouldn’t want a stud like Fried as one of the cards to play in his hand?
Boston’s rotation isn’t the disaster we thought it would be coming into the season, and they have certainly exceeded expectations, but to say there aren’t any questions about long-term viability isn’t true, either.
Brayan Bello will still be developing next year, Kutter Crawford and Tanner Houck are in the fold, but Nick Pivetta is likely headed out the door either at the deadline or in the offseason. Who really knows what Lucas Giolito will be after the injury? How good is Cooper Criswell really? Is Garrett Whitlock durable enough to be counted on as a starter?
So, realistically, you’re looking at an unproven Bello, Crawford and Houck as your rotation going into next season. Translation? You still need some more starting pitching…
Fried won’t come cheap, as I already mentioned. He’s making $15 million this season, and the price tag will only go up in the offseason. I’d imagine he will go for well north of $20 million — even more than $25 million, probably.
Boston’s payroll allocations are around $107.5 million heading into next season, which ranks 16th in the majors. With a current payroll of $187 million in 2024, that would leave them with plenty of cash to go out and sign a guy like Fried.
As always, it’s your move John…
Gethin Coolbaugh is a columnist for Boston Sports Journal. Follow him @GethinCoolbaugh on X/Twitter.
