Full case file · Starting Pitcher · Boston Red Sox · Baseball

Chris Sale

31 of 108 expected starts across the first four years of his $145M extension
Repeat offender 77 career games missed
Estimated salary collected across every game missed, career-wide
$90,000,000
Sum of each season's base salary, prorated per game and multiplied by that season's games missed — from 2020 through 2023.
4 seasons tracked
77 of 108 expected games missed
$117,500,000 in base salary paid
= $90,000,000 earned inactive
Games played
31
of 108 possible
Games missed
77
71.3% of tracked span
Full seasons lost
1
played 0 games
Base salary, tracked span
$117,500,000
excludes bonuses, endorsements

Availability, tracked seasons

31 played (28.7%)
2020 77 expected games missed across 4 seasons 2023

The ledger, season by season

Base salary ÷ expected games that season × games missed that season. "Expected games" is the team's full schedule for position players, or a starting pitcher's typical rotation turns (~team games ÷ 5) — a healthy ace was never going to start 162 games either. Figures are approximate, sourced from public salary and game-log reporting.

Season Expected Played Missed Base salary Per game Collected inactive
2020
Missed full season - Tommy John surgery in March
12 0 12 $30,000,000 $2,500,000 $30,000,000
2021
Recovering from Tommy John surgery; debut delayed to August
32 9 23 $30,000,000 $937,500 $21,562,500
2022
Stress fracture in rib, then a broken pinkie, then a broken wrist from a bike accident
32 2 30 $30,000,000 $937,500 $28,125,000
2023
Healthiest year of the four, but still well short of a full workload
32 20 12 $27,500,000 $859,375 $10,312,500
Career total 108 31 77 $117,500,000 $90,000,000

Sources