FORT MYERS, Fla. -- In 2010, the Chicago White Sox hurried Chris Sale to the big leagues two months after drafting him because they believed he could help them make the playoffs.
Seven years later, Sale still hasn't thrown a pitch in a playoff game.
It was no wonder, then, that Sale took note of the championship banners affixed to a sign at JetBlue Park after throwing a bullpen session in his first official workout with the Boston Red Sox here Tuesday.
"You just walk out here and you look at that," Sale said. "We've got a lot of banners here. I'd like to add to that."
That's the idea, of course. Rather than acquiring a big-name hitter to replace retired David Ortiz, the Red Sox pulled off the biggest trade of the offseason, sending a package of elite prospects to the White Sox in exchange for Sale, a 27-year-old lefty who has four consecutive top-five finishes in Cy Young Award voting and arguably the most team-friendly contract in baseball.
After leading the majors in runs scored last season, the Red Sox intend to win with an ace-filled starting rotation. Sale, who will make $12 million this season and has 2018 and 2019 team options worth a total of $26 million, joins fellow lefty David Price and reigning Cy Young winner Rick Porcello to form Boston's new "Big Three."
Price and Porcello offer reminders that the first season in sports-obsessed Boston can be challenging, even for the most accomplished players. Sale believes he's prepared for the heightened expectations that are par for the course with the Red Sox because he wants to win as badly as any of his new fans.
"For me, it's like a horse running a race. The horse has his blinders on, and he runs until he's told not to run or the race is over," Sale said. "That's my goal this year, to just focus on baseball things. Anything outside of that, put the blinders up. A lot of distraction can go on throughout the season, in the clubhouse, whatever it is, and I'm going to do my best to kind of keep those separated and keep my focus on baseball-related things."
Sale was at the center of two controversies last season with the White Sox. In spring training, he led a players' protest when management limited the amount of time first baseman Adam LaRoche's son, Drake, could spend around the team. Then, in July, the White Sox suspended Sale for five games, including one start, after he cut up collared 1976 throwback jerseys that he found to be restricting.
In both cases, Sale had an emotional reaction to situations in which he believed his teammates were put in a negative position. Although Sale could have handled things more maturely, White Sox assistant general manager Buddy Bell defended him after the trade in December, telling ESPN that Sale "has never really cared about anything other than his teammates and just getting people out."
Sale wasn't eager to discuss either incident Tuesday.
"It all goes to the passion I have for playing the game," Sale said. "Things are going to happen. Nobody's perfect. You're going to make mistakes. All I really want to say on that is you live and you learn. I have two sons now, a 6-year-old and a 2-month-old, and I tell them, 'You're going to make mistakes, but if you learn from your mistakes, that's the key.'
"I'm going to leave it at that. I've learned something from that experience, and moving forward, I think hopefully it's made me a better person."
Asked how he might react if Red Sox management wanted to do something that he didn't agree with, Sale tried to be a cut up about cutting things up.
"I don't think they have throwbacks here," he said.
Instead, there are banners to commemorate the Red Sox's three World Series titles in the last 13 years. Meanwhile, the White Sox are one of five teams that have missed the playoffs in each of Sale's six big-league seasons.
It wasn't Sale's fault. Since 2012, his 3.04 ERA ranks seventh among pitchers with a minimum of 500 innings.
"I always watch the postseason -- unfortunately, I've always had the opportunity to watch it -- just to see what it's like, to see how those guys handle themselves, see what the game is like, and just dreaming about getting there," Sale said. "That's all I ever wanted to do, and when I tell you that, I'm being completely honest. I want to win, plain and simple. That's my only job."