Chris Sale

Chris Sale has perenially been the "If he can stay healthy" pitcher, and in 2024, he finally showed us what that looked like. In his age-35 season, Sale pitched 177 2/3 innings, held a fantasy-happy 18-3 record, struck out 225 batters, and had a 2.38 ERA with a 1.01 WHIP. It was his best year since 2017, so now the question is: Does he have another one of these in him? Pitchers at age 36 are risky, and part of what made Sale's 2024 so magical was his low draft-day cost. At this point, he will cost you a third-round pick, which seems too high for someone with his profile. However, we circle back to the "If he can stay healthy" mantra; if he can offer a repeat, he'll return value in spades. How much risk you want to take in your SP1 slot is up to you.