There's not a person in Boston who laments the Red Sox acquisition of Chris Sale from the White Sox in 2016.
But if you ask Brian Cashman, the general manager of a Yankees team that could've used Sale in the last two postseasons, he'll tell you he also has no regrets about passing on a trade for the lefty ace.
"Thank God I didn't do that, actually," Cashman said Tuesday at the GM meetings in California, per the New York Post. "You'd be missing some serious components of our major league club right now that are under control. We wouldn't have gotten anywhere if I did anything like that with the White Sox back then."
Cashman revealed that the White Sox were demanding Luis Severino and Gary Sanchez as part of their offer in addition to at least two other prospects, according to MLB.com.
"It's multiple All-Star-caliber players that would have had to go in that deal," Cashman said, per MLB.com. "It's no different than turning the clock back on Johan Santana when he went from Minnesota to the Mets [in January 2008]. We could have played on it, but it would have taken three or four pieces off our club. When the dust settles, you're no better for the takeaways than the additions.
"In this case, you'd be losing starting position players that you have that are under control, as well as a Cy Young Award candidate in his own right. We just weren't in the position back then. No regrets on that. Good, sound business decisions then."
Cashman added: "We made the right play on it, and (the Red Sox) made obviously the right choice."
They did indeed. Boston landed Sale in December 2016 in exchange for infielder Yoan Moncada, pitcher Michael Kopech and minor leaguers Luis Alexander Basabe and Victor Diaz. Sale is 29-12 with a 2.56 ERA and 545 strikeouts in two All-Star seasons with the Red Sox, while none of Chicago's acquisitions has found success in the majors.
