Inbox: Will the Red Sox extend Sale?

With the Red Sox getting rained out in Dunedin, Fla., for Tuesday’s game against the Blue Jays, it seemed like the perfect time to empty out the inbox and answer all of your questions.

Do you think the Sox will lock up or extend anyone before Opening Day?

-- @totalhelm

I’m going to go out in a limb and say that a Chris Sale extension worked out by mid-April at the latest. This would benefit all parties. Sale would have security. And the Red Sox then would have more leverage to take it easy with him during the regular season so he can be at his best for the stretch run. I think both sides really want this relationship to extend for several more years.

• Submit a question to Red Sox inbox

Any updates on the Sale and Xander BogaertsXander Bogaerts extension talks?

-- @seannybboi

With any front office run by Dave Dombrowski, you are never going to have updates on extension talks. Dombrowski is a fierce believer that all negotiations should be done in private and not through the media. That said, it was encouraging when chairman Tom Werner said last week that there had been discussions with Sale.

Is Sale going to be more limited this season so that we can see his full potential, like his 100-mph fastball and wipeout slider, this October? It seems like a tip-top Sale would be unfair in the postseason.

-- @JunkieSox

I think what you are asking is if Sale will try to conserve himself more during the regular season so he is at his best and his healthiest in October. I believe he will try to do so. It will be good if you see him changing speeds a lot and staying around 95 mph with his fastball in the first half of the season. But sometimes competitiveness just takes over. It also could be based on where the Red Sox are in the standings.

Who of the three catchers is being traded?

-- @gomezjohnny021

I say that Sandy León goes because of his limited offense. It is time for the Red Sox to give Blake Swihart a fair shot. Also, Swihart has, by far, the most offensive potential of the three catchers on the roster. You keep hearing about all the improvements he’s made on defense, so it’s time to start seeing it play out in games. I think Christian Vázquez and Swihart would be a good tandem.

Is management truly serious that their current bullpen is good enough? Craig Kimbrel and Joe Kelly are some pretty big arms to go unreplaced, and the Yankees have improved big time from last year.

-- @darrenblois1

What management seems truly serious about is that the payroll is as high as they are comfortable with it being at, and they don’t feel they have the money to make another big expenditure. The Red Sox think they have the best starting rotation in the American League and a stacked lineup. Those two things alone give them a strong chance at contending. The hope is that some pitchers will emerge in the bullpen, and that the collective performance will be good enough until Dombrowski can make some moves around midseason.

What are the chances that top Michael Chavis sees the Majors this year, and if so what would his role be?

-- @tommylux11

At the very least, Chavis is going to be a September callup. I think it’s more likely you see him before that. Some position player will inevitably have a nagging injury for a couple of weeks, and Chavis, who is ranked the club’s No. 1 prospect by MLB Pipeline, could get called up then. That’s why the Red Sox are making him as versatile as possible this spring, playing him at first, second and third.

Where are the likely landing spots for Kimbrel at this point?

-- @ACummings40

Tough to say, but if the Phillies don’t get Bryce Harper, I think they become an overwhelming favorite to get Kimbrel. A reunion with the Braves still makes a lot of sense if they can come up with the money. And something in my gut is still telling me to not rule out the Red Sox completely.

Which lesser-known guys could be on the “bubble” to make the Opening Day roster?

-- @ferrarijkf

Barring injuries, the position-player roster is set. There is some intrigue in the bullpen. Will Steven Wright be healthy enough to start the season on the active roster? If not, it could open a spot for an upstart candidate like Colton Brewer or Zach Putnam to land a job. As of now, the bullpen spots would likely go to Matt Barnes, Ryan Brasier, Wright, Heath Hembree, Tyler Thornburg, Brandon Workman and Brian Johnson. Hector Velázquez is another bubble candidate, but he still has options.