FUTURES MARKET
VENTURA DOESN’T SEE TRADE COMING NOW — BUT MAYBE LATER?
MINNEAPOLIS — General manager Rick Hahn is receiving more phone calls about Chris Sale than ever before, which is no surprise considering these factors:
Sale’s tremendous value as one of the best starting pitchers over the last five years to go along with a team- friendly contract.
The Sox’ ongoing failure on the field despite Sale’s excellence and Hahn’s willingness to at least listen more intently to offers.
Sale’s clubhouse behavior last week and biting remarks about his manager a couple of days later.
The trade deadline is Monday, and Hahn holds the cards with Sale and Jose Quintana, his other ace with a steady record and favorable contract. Quintana was All- Star quality in the opener of a threegame series against the Twins on Friday, lowering his ERA to 2.89 with 6⅔ innings of one- run ball in which he struck out nine and walked one. But it went for naught as the Twins won 2- 1 in 12 innings. Pinch hitter Joe Mauer drew a one- out, bases- loaded walk against Tommy Kahnle, who walked both batters he faced.
Quintana has allowed two runs in three starts since the All- Star break.
“All you have to do is think about it for a second and realize it wouldn’t be as good if you don’t have those guys,’’ manager Robin Ventura said.
All you need to know about the organization’s depth problems is this: The Sox are listening to offers for a 27- year- old Cy Young candidate and five- time All- Star.
That very thing probably crossed Sale’s mind before he went nuts in the clubhouse last week.
Ventura’s not in minute- by- minute contact with Hahn, but he’s close enough to believe Sale will remain with the Sox for the rest of the season. After that, the picture changes, and it’s all about return. The Sox would want a package of prospects and major- leaguers, and contending teams don’t want to part with the latter right now. But general managers have been known to get greedy, so stay tuned.
“How many teams have the players to pull it off ?’’ an American League Central source said. “Texas, Boston, maybe nobody else. Texas is definitely the most serious.’’ Let the speculation continue. “People have fun doing that, and sometimes it gets the best of [ players] because they’ll get their feelings hurt because they think that’s actually going on,’’ Ventura said. “And sometimes it’s happening, and sometimes it isn’t. It does distract guys. That stuff this time of year, it’s rampant, everybody talking about people, and a lot of it can just be fans or people saying, ‘ Trade this guy for that guy,’ but it’s not that easy.’’
Looking to get within a game of .500 after splitting four games against the Cubs in Chicago, the Sox led 1- 0 when Adam Eaton hit the second pitch against Ricky Nolasco 450 feet for his eighth home run. But the Sox gave Quintana nothing after that.
Eaton gave something from right field, though, collecting his majorleague- leading 15th and 16th outfield assists, throwing out Miguel Sano at home ( by 20 feet) and Robbie Grossman at third ( by an inch or two).
Sale, in the aftermath of tearing up the team’s throwback uniforms last Saturday, said Ventura needed to back his players more.
And when Sale met the media for the first time since then, he had nothing but great things to say about the love and support he received from teammates.
He had little to say about Ven- tura, who, aside from baseball talk during the Cubs game, hadn’t spoken with his ace as of Friday afternoon.
“He’s going around doing what he needs to do [ with teammates], and we’ll talk at some point,’’ Ventura said. “It’ll happen. There’s a lot of guys to talk to. We’ll get to it.’’