A lot has been made this offseason of the Red Sox payroll, and in particular the team giving big contracts to players who have had limited or no production in recent years. But, could the team have a chance to get out from one of those contracts soon?

On Sunday, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported that “teams are checking on” the availability of pitcher Chris Sale. Sale, 33, chose earlier this offseason to opt in to the final two years of the five-year, $145 million deal he signed back in March 2019. He’s due to make a total of $55 million over the next two years, including $27.5 million in 2023.

Now, teams checking in on Chris Sale doesn’t mean he’s automatically going to get dealt. Heyman added in his report that the Red Sox “are not looking to trade any of their starters but view rotation as an area of depth and are at least willing to listen, and consider.” At the same time, Sale has a full no-trade clause in his contract and can veto any potential trade.

When he’s on his game, Sale is one of the best pitchers in baseball. He was a top-five Cy Young finisher every year from 2012 to 2018. In that span he twice led the league in strikeouts and strikeouts per nine inning three times.

However, he has struggled to stay on the field in recent years, having pitched just 57.1 innings over 14 combined regular and postseason games since August of 2019.

Sale’s issues staying on the field are due to a range of injuries and health issues rather than one single condition. He was shut down in August of 2019 due to elbow inflammation. His 2020 spring training debut was then delayed due to pneumonia, then it was revealed shortly after the start of the COVID-19 Pandemic the lefty underwent Tommy John surgery. Since then Sale has dealt with complications from the surgery, other illnesses, a rib fracture during a private workout, getting hit in his pitching hand by a batted ball, and a broken wrist he suffered after falling off a bike.

Given all of that, combined with his contract situation, it’s tough to project Sale’s value in a trade. On one hand, a contending team could view him as a value addition with high upside if they’re willing to take on some of his contract. At the same time, a team could absorb his contract as a way to get a prospect from Boston’s system.

Things also may hinge on what happens with the rest of the Red Sox rotation. Nathan Eovaldi, last year’s ace, is still a free agent and reportedly getting interest from multiple teams. Michael Wacha and Rich Hill, who started 23 and 26 games last year respectively for the Red Sox, are both still unsigned as well. There’s also the unknown of how the team views players like Garrett Whitlock and Kutter Crawford, who could pitch either in the rotation or out of the bullpen.

Alex Barth is a writer and digital producer for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Thoughts? Comments? Questions? Looking for a podcast guest? Let him know on Twitter @RealAlexBarth or via email at [email protected].