The Red Sox are extremely fortunate, fiscally speaking. The Chicago White Sox have annual team revenues of
$227 million. The Boston Red Sox have annual team revenues of
$370 million.
I think the first question that the White Sox need to answer is not about Sale, it's about the Cubs. They are a junior partner in a cross-city rivalry against a franchise that looks like it's going to be loaded for years to come. What's their plan?
Do they look at the Cubs and say, holy crap, we're going to lose this city if we don't immediately patch together a contending team like now?
Or, do they look at the Cubs and say the only way we're going to compete with these guys is do what they did, blow the whole thing up now and do a top to bottom rebuild? Because clearly any trade of Sale would be part of a top to bottom rebuild.
The Angels' trade of their #1 prospect for Andrelton Simmons shows how they are responding to similar circumstances. I expect the White Sox will do the same.
But that's probably not the right move. If I were the White Sox, I might hold on to Sale, but with their farm system I would be looking to move everyone else.