This is sad for all the parties involved, except for one.
That would be any team that ponies up for the next three-plus seasons of the greatness that has been Sale in a White Sox uniform.
That team -- the Rangers, Red Sox, Dodgers, Astros or Cubs, to name five of the 29 who covet him -- would have just added a difference-maker in his prime.
Sale, 27, is the 2016 American League Cy Young Award frontrunner, a five-time All-Star, the White Sox record-holder for strikeouts in a season and signed to a contract that includes club options for '18 and '19.
Sale's fantastic start
CWS@SEA: Sale deals a one-hit gem over eight innings
Chris Sale twirls a dominant start against the Mariners, striking out six batters and allowing just one hit over eight innings
Sale was scratched from a scheduled start and sent home from U.S. Cellular Field on Saturday, and according to MLB.com's Jon Paul Morosi, this was after he cut up the team's throwback jerseys because he didn't want to wear them when he pitched against the Tigers.
Without Sale, the White Sox started reliever Matt Albers, who was pitching for the third day in a row. Robin Ventura used six relievers to get through eight innings, with Albers, Dan Jennings and Tommy Kahnle working two innings each. They kept the situation with Sale from turning into a mess on the field, though the game was suspended after the eighth inning due to rain. It will resume on Sunday at 1:10 p.m. CT.
White Sox general manager Rick Hahn said in a statement issued by the team that Sale had been sent home "due to a clubhouse incident." He did not disclose specifics about the incident, saying only that it was "non-physical in nature." The statement said the team would have no further comment until it had completed an investigation.
It's possible the incident could blow over and that the Sox will not be major sellers before the Aug. 1 deadline for non-waiver trades. But Sale's timing could not have been worse.
Sale's insubordination came about 48 hours after Hahn publicly declared that the White Sox have been "mired in mediocrity" and said he was listening to trade offers on everyone, including Sale and fellow left-hander Jose Quintana.
Quintana's strong road start
CWS@SEA: Quintana strikes out seven over six strong
Jose Quintana hurls six solid innings against the Mariners, allowing just one run while striking out seven to even his record at 8-8
Sale, who embraces the opportunity to represent the White Sox even though he's never been part of a postseason team, understands baseball is a business but still had to be hurt.
Yet the health of a franchise is never about one or two players, and the most significant part of Hahn's session with reporters was that he seemed to be signaling a shift in the front office's thinking.
After the White Sox lost 99 games in 2013, they took a $68-million risk on Cuban slugger Jose Abreu. They continued adding personnel the next two offseasons, always intent on competing for an AL Central title.
Hahn believed he could build a postseason team behind Sale and Quintana, but he isn't as sure after the 23-40 unraveling that followed this year's 23-10 start. He said Thursday he'll evaluate all trade offers, even those a team would only do if it was rebuilding.
"Over the last couple of seasons, we have not elected to go that route," Hahn said. "We've instead been focused more on the immediate term future. At this point in time, I'd say there's a very open-minded approach not just from [Chairman] Jerry [Reinsdorf], but from the entire front office about what is the most prudent course to get us on an annual basis to where we want to be. … We may well have to adjust and take a longer-term view and take a different approaching going forward."
Trading Quintana, not Sale, would seem to be an easier path to follow. But the returns could be great if the White Sox do choose to trade Sale (and maybe also Quintana) in this seller's market for starting pitching.
Sources with the Rangers have told MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan that Texas would deal two of its top prospects, power-hitting third baseman Joey Gallo and infielder Jurickson Profar, in a bigger package to get Sale. Outfielder Nomar Mazara also interests the White Sox, but it's unclear if he's available.
Profar's solo home run
MIN@TEX: Profar belts a solo jack in the 9th inning
Jurickson Profar hammers a solo home run to right field in the bottom of the 9th inning, as the Rangers trail 15-4
But it speaks strongly of Sale's trade value that Gallo and Profar are both in play.
Would the Red Sox deal Yoan Moncada, the super prospect from Cuba, to have Sale pitching alongside David Price? Would the Cubs make Kyle Schwarber available to add Sale to a rotation that already leads the Major Leagues in starter ERA?
Schwarber's been off the table in talks with the Yankees about Andrew Miller, but this is a different matter entirely. It's asking a lot for the White Sox to treat their city rivals like any other team, but it might be impossible to ignore how much young hitting the Cubs can offer.
Point is, if the White Sox do move Sale, they'll be sure to get some key building blocks in return, but today's incident isn't the way you'd want his time on the South Side come to an end.
Phil Rogers is a national columnist for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
Is Sale trade more likely after clubhouse incident?
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