The Chris Sale extension is a priority for the Red Sox

BOSTON – Determined not to repeat the mistake they made Jon Lester five years ago, the property of the Red Sox on Monday has expressed the priority of signing the left ace Chris Sale to a long-term extension.

At the spring training of 2014, Lester entered his "year of march" and the Red Sox had just won a World Series championship. Lester had said he would accept a rebate in his hometown, but Boston had started the negotiations badly by offering $ 70 million over four years, nowhere close to market value.

BOSTON – Determined not to repeat the mistake they made Jon Lester five years ago, the property of the Red Sox on Monday has expressed the priority of signing the left ace Chris Sale to a long-term extension.

At the spring training of 2014, Lester entered his "year of march" and the Red Sox had just won a World Series championship. Lester had said he would accept a rebate in his hometown, but Boston had started the negotiations badly by offering $ 70 million over four years, nowhere close to market value.

So here, Dirty is this spring, starting his year of walking as the Red Sox come out of a World Series championship again.

:: Cover of the spring training presented by Camping World ::

Although the Red Sox's main owner, John Henry, once said that signing the throwers in their thirties with long-term contracts was not a good deal, he clearly thinks that Sale – who will turn 30 next month – is an exception.

"I think Chris falls out of the norm because he's really a big [pitcher], "Henry said." Not just a big pitcher, but a big part of the team as we saw in the World Series. He had a lot of impact right on the bench of the World Series. So, he is a special player. We would like to be able to sign it. I think that he would like too. "

Henry and Red Sox President Tom Werner confirmed that the club had discussions with Sale and the star's shortstop Xander Bogaertswho is also eligible for free will at the end of the season.

Although the owners want the negotiations to remain confidential, Henry has indicated the possibility of signing Sale before arriving at an independent agency. While some players are determined to test the market, Henry does not think this is the case with Sale.

Video: Red Sox President Tom Werner Discusses Plans for Independent Agents

"But there are market realities and budgets, and this is the opportunity for him to become a free agent, potentially, what we would like to avoid, but I think he would do it as well. "said Henry. "So, something could happen."

That would certainly be good news for the Red Sox, who had to watch Lester play well for the Cubs over the past four seasons, while knowing that he had never wanted to leave Boston.

"I think we blew the Jon Lester [negotiations], "Henry said." We signed it by signing it at the spring training. For reasons that are quite obvious now, in which I will not enter, but they are obvious. "

Although Sale had an inflammation of the left shoulder during the second half of last season, Boston has no long-term health problem about it at the moment.

Video: The sale is currently the 13th place in the Top 100 MLB Network

"He's healthy, he had minor problems," said Henry. "They were able to take their time and let him rest at some point, but he did not have any significant shoulder problems."

"It would be great," said director Alex Cora at the question of the possibility for Sale to sign an extension. "He's what you want from the players, you talk to him, the interviews and the way he manages everything, he manages Boston, he loves it, a very humble man, that would be great."

While the 2019 Red Sox have a stacked cast that is as likely as any team to win the World Series, many decisions need to be made regarding the core in the coming years.

Apart from Sale and Bogaerts, Rick Porcello is also eligible for free will at the end of the 2019 season. Mookie Betts and Jackie Bradley Jr. are under club control until '20. J.D. Martinez opt-outs after each of the next two seasons.

The Red Sox do their best to preserve the kernel as much as possible.

Video: The Red Sox are proud of the past but want to repeat

"Bogaerts is an excellent player … Dirty, Mookie Betts, we would like to be able to have long-term contracts with each of them," Werner said. "But our conversations with them, which are going on, are private, I think it's the best way to reach an agreement, if it's possible to conclude it."

The reality is that the Red Sox will lose some of their star players in the years to come.

"It's really hard to keep 25 players together every year, we'll do everything in our power to keep this team together, and we'll continue to rebuild and rebuild." But free will is what we do. he is, "said Henry. "We have a lot of young players who will mature at the same time, they will not be able to keep all of them, we may have the biggest payroll in baseball, but even then you can not keep all your players in the same way that the free agency works nowadays. "