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Trade to Red Sox works out well for Chris Sale’s family, too

With the White Sox, Chris Sale had to spend spring training in Arizona.AP file

OXON Hill, Md. — For the better part of a year now, Chris Sale has been anticipating a call telling him he has been traded by the Chicago White Sox. It finally came on Tuesday morning.

Sale was in his truck at the time, traveling north on I-75 near Fort Myers, Fla., a few minutes from his new spring training home with the Red Sox.

It was the happiest of coincidences. Joining the Red Sox means Sale can spend an additional two months at his home in nearby Naples. With his wife, Brianne, expecting their second child in a few weeks, that was a relief.

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“This really couldn’t have worked out better for us on either side of the spectrum, professionally or personally,” Sale said on Wednesday during a conference call.

The Red Sox obtained Sale for a package of four prospects, ending months of conjecture of where he would end up.

“It is kind of like being monkey in the middle. You’re just glad when you finally get the ball,” he said. “It’s hectic. There’s a lot of speculation. There’s story after story. Obviously getting flooded with text messages from family and friends. Just to have the whole process out of the way, just to get back to some kind of normalcy will be nice.”

David Price was the first Red Sox player to reach out to Sale. Clay Buchholz and Dustin Pedroia followed. Sale was clearly thrilled with the idea of coming to the Red Sox.

In past years, Boston was one of the road trips Brianne would make. They both like the city and consider Fenway Park a special place.

“You’re talking about one of the greatest baseball franchises ever. I’ve always been a big fan of the Boston Red Sox for a few reasons,” he said. “I’m as excited as anybody, honestly. I don’t know how you couldn’t be.

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“You’re a perennial contender for making the playoffs and having a realistic chance of winning a World Series . . . I’ve always just heard great things about the guys on this team and the front office and you have dedicated ownership and front office guys committed to winning and winning annually. So it’s exciting. I’ve always, always loved going to Boston and pitching in Boston.”

Sale joins Price and Rick Porcello at the head of what could be a dominant rotation. He expects the starters will compete with each other.

“Pushing each other, trying to be better, and just making each other better,” he said.

“Regardless of who’s pitching on what night, the next night we have as good if not a better chance all the way down the line. That’s nice. Not only that but it takes some pressure off of everybody. Just go out there and pitch because you don’t feel like you have a huge weight on your shoulders to win this game for sure 100 percent.”

As for who is the ace, Sale had a good answer.

“I don’t think that matters. I think when you have a group of guys that come together that believe in the same thing and fight for the same purpose, nothing else really matters,” he said. “We play for a trophy, not a tag.”

Sale has avoided social media — “I don’t have Twitter, so I’m not going to be reading as much about everything as probably the next guy” — but understands the atmosphere will be different in Boston.

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Although Sale has spent his career in a large market, the White Sox are second tier to the Cubs in Chicago. In Boston, the spotlight won’t move.

“It’s part of it, really. Obviously, I knew that going into it,” he said. “That’s what I signed up for; that’s what I look forward to; that’s what I live for is playing the game of baseball. Everything else, it’ll take care of itself. It’ll shake out. The good outweighs the bad.”

But Sale won’t be the center of attention as much as he was with the White Sox. The five-time All-Star was the team’s most tenured and accomplished player at the time of the trade and carried a heavy burden.

“That’s kind of the cherry on top. You look at the talent on this team as a whole, not only just the pitching staff but as a whole,” he said. “You’ve got some young guys. Having a veteran leader and one of the best in the game in Pedroia leading the charge, you can’t ask for much more.

“Your guys in the bullpen, they can lock it down. On paper it looks good. I know we still have to go out there and do it. But there’s no reason not to be excited right now.”

Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski likes the intangibles Sales will bring to the rotation.

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“On the field he’s as competitive as can be. He’s got an edge to him, a good edge,” Dombrowski said. “His teammates love him. I know in my career being in the same division we never liked facing him.”

The White Sox were 12th in the American League in attendance at drab U.S. Cellular Field last season and haven’t made the postseason since 2008. Now Sale comes to a vastly different environment.

“I’m a firm believer of energy can be created in ballparks. I don’t think there’s any question about that,” he said. “When you have a packed house and everybody’s on their feet and their screaming in the eighth inning, there is no doubt that that gives every player on either side a little bit of a jolt. That will be very, very fun.”


Peter Abraham can be reached at pabraham@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @PeteAbe.